Ally By Adversary
by CoLatrL.damage
Summary: It is a long road from Jedi Knight to Dark Lord of the Sith. Four years after the Treaty of Coruscant, a young Jedi begins a journey that will end in her becoming what she hates. Book One of Three
1. Escape Evann

**CHAPTER ONE**

**Escape Evann**

The Sith Lord, Alek Talus, paced inside his private meditation chamber that was dimly lit by scattered red light. All was silent except for the click of his boots on the metal floor, the humming communicator open to the ship's bridge, and the quiet whimpering from the floor by his feet.

A voice from the communicator interrupted his steps.

"Lord Talus, we are prepared to leave orbit."

"Proceed, Captain," Talus answered in a voice that was almost inhumanly deep, its tone inter-weaved with an unspoken threat.

Talus studied Anise. She sat on the floor with her back pressed against the side of the steps leading up the dais that housed a single over-sized chair. Her knees were pulled up into her chest. Her arms hugged her legs in tight and her fingers were locked tightly together and pressed down on her head. Her thick blood-red hair cascaded down her back passed her waist, tumbled over her shoulders, and pooled on the floor in tangled curls.

Talus dropped down onto one knee in front of her. He worked his hands through her hair to find a grip on her upper arms. He was able to close a fist around each of her arms and yanked her up onto her feet but she refused to stand on her own. She kept her head down and pulled against Talus trying to drop back to the floor but his grip remained strong until she finally stopped fighting and stood erect.

Talus pushed sections of her tear soaked hair behind her shoulders, away from her mouth and eyes. He placed his hand gently under her chin and lifted her head up towards his. She closed her eyes tight and squeezed a tear that ran down her face and dropped onto Talus's armored forearm. She sobbed and trembled in his hands.

"Look at me, Anise," he ordered her in the same fierce tone with which he commanded the captain.

Anise opened her almond shaped eyes which were too large for her tiny frame. Her pupils were black ovals centered on bright green disks that drifted slowly upwards to find Talus' gaze.

The vessel's course changed and moved tangentially from orbit. It's hull moaned as it pulled out of Evann's gravity.

Anise threw her head back and squeezed her eyes shut again. She pulled frantically away from Talus. He held on tight while she kicked and pulled away. She could not break his grip and he held her upright for as long as his patience would bear. He finally relented and she threw herself back onto the floor and curled up back into the same position against the steps.

Talus stood up.

"You must let go, Anise," he said forcefully yet almost pleading. "We have prepared for this."

The captain's voice returned from the communicator, "We are clear of orbit, my lord. We are ready to enter hyperspace on your command."

"Continue your present course," Talus ordered.

Anise let out a long guttural moan. Her body trembled and she slumped over onto her side crying and breathing through wet hair.

"You're doing this to yourself," he said to her, his voice now tinged with frustration.

"No," she pleaded in response.

Talus grabbed two chairs from a nearby table and placed them facing each other near Anise. He plucked her up off the floor and placed her in one chair and sat in the other. He tried to lift her head up again but she slapped his hand away. Talus closed his eyes and meditated, focusing his power in the Force.

For more than a decade Talus had studied little else beyond Force Bonds. After completing his training on Korriban his master sent him across the galaxy searching for artifacts. He came across a holocron left behind in wreckage that described a Force Bond so powerful that physical pain felt by one was felt by the other, augmenting powers in the Force could be shared, and even killing one member of the pair could kill the other. Intrigued, he kept his find secret from his master and continued to gather more knowledge from Sith archives, stolen Jedi holocrons, and bartering for what was kept secret by older Sith.

For years he practiced deliberately creating Bonds with lessor Acolytes during his frequent visits to Korriban, most of whom would die before completing their training, allowing him to refine his technique in secret. He began to see Force Bonds everywhere, not just between student and instructor but even between foes. Most of these Bonds were weak of course, and the majority of them went unnoticed by even their participants.

Talus' knowledge was so profound he doubted whether the Emperor himself could comprehend even a fraction of what he possessed. All that he studied was for this exact moment.

He focused all his power on Anise. He created a channel of energy flowing from his subconscious to hers. Like feelers they poked and prodded their way through her mind but they found no acceptance. The energy stopped before reaching her.

_You must accept me_ he said to her telepathically but she did not hear him. Her mind was shut.

"It's time, Anise." Talus opened the communicator to the bridge. "You may enter hyperspace when ready. Notify me the moment we reach Dantooine."

"Right away, my lord."

Talus tried to reach her again, offering her a Force Bond, it was met with the same rejection.

The Gage class Transport made its preparation to jump to light speed. Talus heard the changes in pitch of the ship's resonance, the inaudible creaks in the hull, the imperceptible clicks in the electronics; combined they formed a countdown in his mind. Each click he slid closer to the edge of his seat. Each pitch deviation he tried more desperately to reach her. She refused. One final chirp and Talus called out her name. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. The ship jumped.

Anise's head snapped up, her breathing stopped, eyes wide and frozen. She stood up from her chair. She exhaled once and cut an inhale short. Talus tried to get her to face him but she shoved him back into his seat almost knocking him backwards over the chair and turned her back to him. She grabbed her head covering her ears. Talus felt her reaching out to her planet, she tried desperately to reach Evann as it melted away through the light years behind them, unreachable.

She screamed in terror as Talus spun her around and held her face in his hands. He got down on his knees trying to get her to look at him. Her eyes rolled around but could not find his. Her knees buckled and her body went limp in his arms. He tried to hold her up for another moment then relented, letting her body collapse onto the floor.

Talus stayed on his knees and calmly refocused on his Bond, trying to offer it to Anise again. He pushed gently into her subconscious, then increased the intensity. He tried to drive his power into her mind, growling with effort. Her mind stayed closed tight.

Talus exhausted his power in one final effort. Snarling in his failure he jumped to his feet and kicked the chair Anise had sat in across the room. It broke against the far wall and fell in several pieces. He reached over her body and grabbed his chair and smashed it to pieces on the floor at his feet, inches from her still body. She did not react.

He took several steps away from Anise, seething. He turned suddenly towards her and shouted, "You will not deprive me!"

Talus fired Force Lightning from one hand striking Anise's body. The shock snapped her body rigid and she rolled away from him. She slid across the floor and rolled up into a kneeling position facing Talus as all the energy leaving his body converged into a point in the center of the palm of one of her hands. Talus raised his second arm and doubled the arcs of power leaving his body. The lightning struck her body again. She contorted from the impact for a brief moment until that second flow converged and vanished into the palm of her other hand.

The Force flowed through Talus' body, across the short distance between him and Anise, and vanished into her body, dissipating back into the Force. A circuit formed, Talus moved closer to her, he channeled all the power he could into her body. For a fleeting moment he felt success, until he could look through the intense purple light to see her eyes empty and dead. No new tears were falling, only a new clear stream ran from her mouth.

"You will feel me through the Force," he said to her.

He stepped closer to her, her lifeless eyes stared at his knees. The sting of failure snarled his mouth again. He turned away from her in disgust and tried to stop his attack but he could not break the circuit. Still the lightning flowed out of his hands involuntarily. He stepped back away from her. He sent a surge of energy out towards her and tried to stop the attack again and again he could not break the circuit. He searched for her gaze through the light but her expression had not changed.

The pain started as a single point in the front top of this head. The intensity magnified with each millisecond the Force drained from his body into Anise. The single point spread quickly forward and back across his head until it felt like someone was prying his skull open with a crowbar.

Talus fell to his knees, his arms out to his sides. The room went black as the pain caused him to lose consciousness. When he regained his thoughts he looked around the room. The visible lightning had vanished from his hands but the flow of energy continued into her hands. He could not stand. The splitting pain crippled his thoughts.

"Anise," he said weakly barely more than a whisper. "Can you hear me?"

He lacked the strength to find her eyes and sunk lower onto his knees, his body folding forward as he faded out again.

His mind wandered through the memories of his life. The first master he had when he was a young slave and had been shipped to Dromund Kaas. His subsequent discovery by a Sith Lord, forced into the Academy on Korriban. The treachery of his lessors. The cruelty of his Masters.

Talus mustered the strength to open his eyes once again. He tried to move his head but could only roll it to one side. He saw Anise now standing in front of him.

"You…you're killing us…both," he managed to squeeze from his throat before fading out again.

In his mind's eye he saw the first man he ever killed standing before him, a face he hadn't seen in twenty years. He was a fellow Sith Acolyte. He couldn't remember what the Acolyte did, only that the instructor ordered them to fight to the death without the use of weapons or the Force. It wasn't to be much of a battle.

With weapons or even just the Force the Acolyte may have had a chance. A barehanded fight meant only that this was to be an execution and a painful one. Talus towered head and shoulders above all the students and Masters. He was more than just tall, he was well proportioned and heavy framed. He was bigger, stronger, faster, and more ruthless than the other students. He accepted the role of executioner and meted out a slow and brutal death. He never asked why. And he would accept the same role repeatedly in the years that followed.

He opened his eyes again. Still the power drained from his body. He was immobile. He felt hollow inside. He had no power left. It felt like what was leaving his body now was his soul itself. He raised his eyes to see Anise staring out over him. His mind was shutting down. Yet somewhere nearby he felt a third presence in the room. He tried to focus on it but it left him. He closed down again.

The presence returned a time later this time more agitated. The interruption woke Talus and he latched onto it with his conscious mind. The presence was like a signal flare in the room burning with anxiety. Talus tried to pull away from Anise by following the emotion, using it to fill the hole she had created. More activity swirled around the room. Talus could locate it near an entrance. The presence left but the fear lingered like a fog. He pulled the emotion into his mind trying to keep it from escaping. It was something he could do.

Another presence entered the room, this time drowning in fear and confusion. Talus pressed Anise out of his mind, stripped out the memories, and centered all of his strength on the fear. He felt it as if it was his own. He anchored it in his mind and used it to pull away from her.

He finally recognized the source of the fear. He inhaled deeply and opened his eyes. The Force had stopped draining from his body though he did not know for how long it had. He rolled his eyes up again to see Anise still standing expressionless. He lacked the strength to stand or even move. He tried to swallow.

"What…is it…commander," the words scraped from his throat.

"My lord," the officer responded nervously. "We have reached Dantooine and we are in orbit."

Talus flexed the muscles in his legs under him to see if he had the strength to move. He did not.

"You were to alert me…," he tried to catch his breath, "…when in system."

"Yes, my lord," he answered, unsure how to proceed. "I've tried…sir, we've been in orbit for two days."

Talus was too weak to express surprise.

"Sir," the officer continued nervously, "Darth Vuull demands a report on our progress."

Talus ordered the officer out of the room. Alone again with Anise he slumped over onto his hands and knees and crawled away from her. He let his anger grow. He drew on the dark side, pulling its power into his body cell by cell, fueling his mind and body with its power until he finally had the strength to stand.

At the peak of his power fueled by rage he turned to Anise. She stood in the same position. She continued to stare at nothing but her eyes were no longer empty. They were filled with anger, his anger. The green eyes had faded to Sith yellow. He could feel the dark side swirl around and through her.

_Anise,_ he called to her in his mind. Her head slowly turned toward his.

Talus ordered the officer back into to the room.

"You will have one of the new slave girls assigned to her" he ordered while motioning to Anise. "I want her cleaned up and back here wearing attire more suitable for a Sith in one hour. Prepare the landing party as planned. We will complete our mission and then contact Darth Vuull. Leave at once."

The officer left quickly. A young slave girl entered and bowed before Talus. He directed her to Anise still standing motionless. Her anger had subsided with his, her eyes once again a bright green. The girl tried to coax Anise to follow her but she ignored her.

_Go with her_ Talus whispered to her silently. She obeyed and followed the slave girl out of the room.

Alone again Talus leaned back in his chair. He ate the rations that had been delivered to him to regain his strength. He thought of Anise and smiled to himself.


	2. Dueling Sabers

**CHAPTER TWO**

**Dueling Sabers**

Lenora grappled in close with her lightsaber locked together with Duros'. She thought she could use her lower center of gravity as leverage against her larger opponent. Having gotten in close her mind quickly shifted to escape. She pressed a foot into the bend between his hip and thigh and pushed off into to a back-flip striking out with her double-bladed saber as she was inverted in the air. The attack prevented him from countering while she was airborne and vulnerable. She landed firmly on the ground with both feet planted in the grass with her saber already poised to defend.

Duros didn't advance. He stepped sideways forcing Lenora to turn into the sun. A heavy warm breeze pressed Duros' brown robe against his body. His graying blond hair too short to respond to the moving air. Lenora turned into the breeze and shook her black hair over her shoulders.

She lunged forward trying to draw Duros' defense high to expose his midsection to a shoulder charge but he threw his own shoulder forward first. She only succeeded in crashing her own head into his body. She stepped back slightly dazed. Duros swept both feet out from under her and used the Force to accelerate her fall to the ground.

She lay frozen from the sudden impact with the ground and took a second to let the air refill her lungs. She found Duros out of striking range and snapped back up onto her feet.

Before she could fully regain her balance Duros lunged at her. He swung high and she raised her saber to counter. His knee slammed into her stomach knocking her back and off balance. He continued his saber swing with their sabers locked together throwing her off her feet again.

She stood up much slower this time with her jaw clinched and her saber held at her side. She stared hard at Duros, her light gray eyes hardened to steel as she slowly lifted her saber into a fighting stance. She stepped forward slowly and started spinning the saber in front of her. The blades spun faster as her steps came faster and she closed the distance with Duros. She let another strike launch out from the spinning saber. Duros stepped forward and under the blade and cut a dull black streak across her left thigh.

Lenora squealed and grabbed her leg. She staggered backwards away from him. The immediate pain of the injury paled in comparison to the burning agony that followed. She kept her foot just off the ground and tried not to put any weight on her leg.

Duros stood with his saber ready, emotionless, calm.

Lenora's pain turned to anger. She braced herself and firmly planted her leg on the ground. She grabbed her saber with both hands and rushed at Duros. Gone was her grace and choreography. She slammed an attack straight down with both hands using the Force to augment its power. Her blade bounced off of Duros'. She kept coming forward taking long steps swinging with all the power she could muster. Duros stepped back away from each strike. Her face hardened with each blow.

Duros had enough of her display. He didn't bother to block her next blow, instead leaning back out of the way. He countered quickly swinging in the same direction that she did, adding the momentum of his saber to the backside of hers he swatted her saber out of her hand then simply held his saber parallel to the ground. She continued forward unable to stop herself from falling into his blade.

Duros extinguished his blade before she could crash into it. She stumbled forward and planted her injured leg on the ground trying to stop her forward momentum. She twisted around clumsily and finally landed on her backside. She laid down in the grass flat on her back staring up at the clouds overhead and massaging her thigh.

"Did you really think anger would help you?" Duros asked with a very disappointed tone.

"No," she responded testily. "But I didn't think you would humiliate me either."

"You came to me," he reminded her.

"To learn! Not to get my leg cut off," she snapped back, the pain still burning in her leg.

"Hmmm," Duros grunted, not impressed by her defense at all.

Lenora sat up and rummaged through a pouch she wore on her waistband. She pulled out a kolto pack and squeezed its contents into her wound.

"Tell me," Duros asked, "could you have stopped those impressive overhand strikes if my defense had failed?"

Lenora took a deep breath. The pain had nearly left her and she was calmer. She thought about the question before answering.

"I could not," she answered humbly, her voice expressing disappointment as well.

"Even at low power a lightsaber can do serious damage. You could have killed me for hurting your feelings and inflicting a superficial wound."

She did not answer. Duros shook his head and started walking back toward the Jedi Temple. Lenora stood up and looked around for where her saber hilt had landed. When she found it she summoned it back into her hand. She paused for a moment and wondered what she would have done if she had killed him. She ran to catch up with Duros and walked along at his side.

"I'm truly sorry, Mastar Sar'on," she said humbly.

He acknowledged her apology with a nod but said nothing. They continued side by side silently. As they rounded a bend in the dirt path the Jedi Temple came into view. It was surrounded by people busily moving about. There was some abandoned scaffolding on the near side of the Temple that had yet to be taken down and new construction being started nearby. Lenora wanted this conversation to finish before they got back.

"Master Moross always told me, once I finished my trials, that I should come to you. That you could teach me more about saber combat than he could, more than most Jedi for that matter," she added enthusiastically.

"Master Moross was a good man and a powerful Jedi. He spoke very highly of you. And often," Duros replied with a smile.

Lenora's eyes dropped to the ground as they walked and her mood diminished again.

"I still miss him," she said.

"As do I," he consoled her.

"He's dead because of me, Master Sar'on. Because I was weak."

Duros stopped walking. Lenora stopped too but kept her eyes on her own boots pressing patterns in the dirt.

"The Sith killed him. Do not absolve them from their crimes with your guilt."

"You weren't there. You didn't see him."

"I've seen many battles."

"If I wasn't there he would have beaten that animal. But I _was_ there. It was all he could do to protect me, he couldn't protect himself too."

"You were still a child then, barely fifteen."

Lenora rolled her eyes.

"He's dead just the same because I couldn't defend myself. I never want to feel that again."

"Stop it right now," Duros ordered. Lenora reluctantly looked him in the eye. His voice softened.

"You survived where many wouldn't. If Master Moross had left you behind you would have been killed in the Temple on Coruscant. He saved you because he believed you would become a great Jedi Knight. And he was right. Now look at you. Barely four years later you've completed all your trials practically on your own. You are on your way. Honor your Master by enjoying your accomplishment. Reward yourself. Don't keep punishing yourself."

Lenora nodded and looked down again. Duros draped an arm around her shoulder and offered a quick hug. He let his arm slide off and the two started walking toward the Temple again.

"I don't really feel any different, you know?" she said.

"What did you expect, a buzz of some kind?"

She let out a short laugh.

"I don't know what I expected. Just something. One day I'm a Padawan and the next day a Jedi. I guess I expected to just know more than I do now."

"What do you mean?"

"There is something I wanted to ask you, but I need you to promise to tell me the truth no matter what the answer is."

"I always tell you the truth, Lenora. You don't need a promise from me."

Duros was excited by the mysterious inquiry and hoped it was going to be about him.

"Is the dark side stronger?" She couldn't look at him while she asked.

Duros raised an eyebrow at the question.

"I'm sure you've been over that a thousand times."

"Yes. I have."

"Well the answer isn't going to be any different just because you're up a rank. There's no secret knowledge we keep from you."

"I remember the battle that Master Moross was killed in. The Sith attacked us, and we outnumbered them three to one! Why would they attack so many? And they were winning until the troopers regrouped to help us out. So many died."

"It was a costly battle," Duros remembered out loud.

"So being outnumbered doesn't bother them? We're taught that we should never confront a Sith alone. Why do we have to fight them in twos or threes if they're not stronger? I can't pretend not to see what I see."

"Your teachers did not lie to you. The Dark Side is not stronger. Neither do your eyes deceive you. It does appear that the Sith are stronger, but these two facts are not the whole story.

"Part of the reason we try to not fight them alone is the simple fact that Jedi outnumber Sith to begin with and we should use every advantage we have. But it doesn't start out that way. Anyone Force sensitive in the Empire is forced into the Sith Academy, so in the beginning there are many more Sith students than Jedi initiates. The training the Sith receive is cruel and merciless. They are forced to fight each other. They kill friends, if it could be said they have any. They kill those above to advance.

"What you see on the battlefield, what you think is just a regular Sith, is not. What you are seeing is the Sith's elite, only the strongest and the cruelest survive to complete their training. It would be as if we only allowed Jedi Masters on the battlefield. We never see their "average" warriors because they are all dead."

Lenora was listening to every word with eagerness.

"Let's use you as an example. You are a Jedi Knight now. A title you fully deserve. But other than the tragic day your master was killed, and the sparring matches at the Temple, you've never been in a lightsaber duel. There is not a Sith you'll see that hasn't had dozens before he's ever faced a Jedi, many like you are only having their first or second. So yes, if you can, don't face them alone. But it is not the dark side that makes them powerful. His rage and hatred will kill him as sure as any weapon. It will destroy him from within, a slow death. Your training will preserve life, yours and others. Stay true to your teachings. Stay focused. Suppress hate, fear, anger. When you are at peace, then you will be powerful."

Lenora looked off into the distance thinking about Duros' answer.

"If that is the case, then the Sith Lords must be the elite of the elite. They must be incredibly powerful. Could even a Jedi Master defeat them?"

Duros smiled and glanced over at Lenora. She was still hanging on every word.

"Let's say we made an offer to the Empire, we'll pick the five most powerful Jedi, they pick the five most powerful Sith. We fight in a winner takes all tournament. If we win the Sith agree to return to Dromund Kaas forever, if they win the Jedi leave the Republic forever…well, I doubt very much the Sith would take us up on the offer."

Lenora smiled back at him.

"You explain it much better than they did at the Temple."

"Don't obsess so much about power. There is much more to being a Jedi than marshal strength."

"I understand. I will remember that. I think I will learn a lot now that you've agreed to train…"

"I didn't say I would train you," Duros interrupted. Lenora's jaw dropped and the syllable of a word escaped her lips.

"It was just a friendly sparring match to see how much you've learned. I agreed because I wanted to ask you to accompany me on a task. The Jedi Council has decided to send me on a diplomatic mission. I want you to see first hand there is much more to being a Jedi than flinging lightsabers at each other or running around Tython saving civilians from dangerous animals. I know you were cheated out of most of these lessons by the war."

"Thank you, Master Sar'on. I will gladly join you," Lenora replied trying to convince herself she meant it. "Where are we going?"

"Ceeriun," he answered.

"Where's that?"

"It's in the Outer Rim. A system neighboring Dantooine, if you know where that is. It's not a significant power. The planet is not even unified. There are quite a few independent nations and one of them is reaching out to the Republic. If we can negotiate an alliance or at least closer ties it can boost the Republic's resources, if even only a small amount. Every ally we have makes the prospect for peace greater."

"I will see you tomorrow then," Lenora said trying to disguise her disappointment.

Duros laughed.

"The Force guides us. Perhaps there is some other reason for us to be there."

Lenora laughed back realizing her disguise was ineffective.

"Perhaps. And maybe you can give me some dueling tips along the way."


	3. Maiden Voyage

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Maiden Voyage**

The bright yellow sun reflected its light off of a military shuttle that sat in a small clearing surrounded by the forests of Dantooine. Two dozen soldiers had spread out around the area taking measurements with multiple instruments scanning for human activity. A majority though had congregated around the shuttle itself using its instruments to set up a temporary command center. All activity paused as a second shuttle descended into the center of the clearing.

An officer in a gray and black uniform broke away from the small concentration of troops and stood near where the boarding ramp of the new shuttle would emerge. He straightened his uniform and stood at full attention waiting for the occupants to appear.

The door slid open and the ramp lowered. Six soldiers moved quickly out of the shuttle in synchronized movements inspecting the surrounding area and then lining up at the sides of the ramp with their weapons raised, ready for combat.

The officer swallowed hard when a single armored boot appeared on the ramp followed by a shoulder. Talus ducked his head and took another step clearing the shuttle's opening. Just outside he stood upright and looked over the troops. A light breeze opened the black cape he wore over his dark gray armor. The officer's gaze fell on the now exposed jagged hilt he displayed prominently on his side.

Anise appeared in the doorway behind Talus. The hair on the top of her head was pulled into a ponytail and ran down her back mingling with the rest of her still loose curls that extended passed her narrow waist. She had on a simple black robe that folded across her chest. She kept one hand up trying to shield her eyes from the burning sun, her pupils closed tightly into thin black lines.

The officer saluted, then bowed, then saluted again as Talus strode down the ramp. He paid the officer no mind and continued his pace passed him. The officer froze with his eyes straight ahead and could see only Talus' shoulder as he walked by. He watched Anise glide down the ramp staying close to Talus. Jarred from his fascination with the strange alien he moved quickly to join Talus' walk at his side.

"Report, commander," Talus thundered.

"My lord, we have located the Mandalorian fort, two miles due west. No doubt they are aware of our presence now, if they hadn't already detected us in orbit. We are equipped and ready to attack on your order."

"Good."

"My lord?" the officer continued unsure about how to proceed. Talus used a sideways glance as an invitation to continue.

"My lord, our reports tell us the Mandalorians outnumber us. If we attack their fortified position in broad daylight casualties will be high. We can have more men summoned from the ship in less than half an hour."

"Do not presume to instruct me, commander. I am well aware of our capabilities."

"Of course, my lord. Please forgive my insolence," the officer lowered his head but continued to walk at Talus' side.

They came to a stop near the largest concentration of soldiers who all immediately abandoned their tasks and stood at attention.

"Your men will attack the fort and engage their defenses. You are not to advance or try to penetrate their position. You will serve as a decoy to allow me to enter the fort personally. The leader of this clan has offended my master. He will die at the hand of a Sith. I will notify you once I have defeated the target and eliminated his associates."

"As you say, Lord Talus. It will be done."

"Begin your assault."

The officer ordered his men and the soldiers formed up and moved into the forest to close in on the Mandalorian fort. Talus watched the soldiers disappear into the trees. Checking over his shoulder to make sure Anise was still close to him he moved off to the south to move in an arc allowing him to attack from the opposite side of the fort from that of his soldiers.

Talus' pace quickened or slowed as required by the terrain. He kept looking back at Anise and every time he did so she remained a precise distance behind him. It was like their bond formed an invisible leash that did not allow her to go beyond it. In a stretch of land thinly populated with trees and unusually flat he broke into a full run. He used the Force to augment his speed and burst through the forest. He peeked again over his shoulder and there was Anise, the exact same distance behind though she did not use any power to assist her, her own natural physical abilities allowed her to keep pace with him.

He tired quickly and had slow back down to a brisk walk. Already he could see the fort's outline through the forest. A ten acre patch of land had been cleared. Two thirds of it were contained behind a wall fifteen feet high. The wall was made of metal, formed by sections thirty feet long. Each section of wall was anchored into the ground half as deep at it was tall. No building inside the fort was as tall as the walls around it and only one permanent structure existed in the center. The rest of the fort was made up of tents and semi-permanent shacks.

Talus and Anise approached from the west. No gate appeared on this side. There was only one way in and that was over the wall. They slowed their pace and waited to hear the sound of his soldiers attacking the only entrance to the fort on the east side. Once the shooting started he made his approach to the wall more deliberately.

As soon as he cleared the forest two blaster bolts fired from two different rifles cut red streaks through the air heading straight for his heart. Talus jerked his saber from his side and angled his saber in front of his chest, deflecting one into the dirt, the second over his shoulder that burned into a tree. A barrage of shots followed the opening volley. Talus grabbed Anise by the shoulder with his left hand and retreated behind some rocks deflecting many bolts away as he dropped safely behind cover to one knee.

Anise plopped down as well with her back against the boulder uninterested in the noise and swinging lightsaber that had Talus' pulse quickened.

"Anise," he commanded. She blinked at the sky.

"Everyone in this camp must die. Do you understand me?" Talus continued. Anise looked around Talus at a squirrel fleeing the charred tree behind him that caught the bulk of the deflected blaster fire.

Talus closed his eyes and concentrated his power on the bond shared between them. He felt the Force flow between them, the power ebbed and flowed along. He felt their subconscious minds intertwined and in one instant of intense effort he cut the bond off.

Anise snapped to her feet, her eyes wide, her hands grabbed at her ears and hair trying to defend against the sudden silence. Talus stayed on one knee. She pressed closer to him, their noses practically touched as she stared into Talus' eyes and pushed out to him desperately through the Force. She prodded his mind trying to reconnect their bond again but he resisted.

"No, Anise," he said, his voice calm and firm like parent patiently correcting a misbehaving child. "Everyone in the camp must die. All of them."

Anise's gaze darted between his left eye and his right. His face remained frozen and defiant. She prodded him again, harder than before and leaned further into him but he wouldn't allow it.

She turned her head slowly away from Talus and looked through the rock into the Mandalorian camp. She sensed the life inside. She silently counted as she searched inside the wall. She turned back to Talus pleadingly, nudging his mind again.

"All of them," was his only reply.

Anise stepped out from behind the rock. She moved towards the fort's wall and was greeted the same way as Talus before - two blaster bolts aimed right for her heart. She hopped to the side and continued her brisk walk forward.

The two soldiers on top of the wall unleashed a barrage of blaster fire at her. She kept moving forward tracking the trajectory of every blast. She ignored the shots that would miss and hopped quickly to either side, or forward or back to make the shots that were on target miss.

With a burst of speed she closed the distance so suddenly the soldiers could not lower their rifles fast enough to match her pace. She ran under the angle of the attacks and as suddenly as she moved forward she stopped and pushed out with both hands sending a wave of telekinetic energy forward. The wave traveled audibly through the air and thundered into the wall. The two soldiers on top were blasted high into the air and backwards into the camp. The section of the wall that took the direct hit crumpled and nearly folded in on itself. The anchors were ripped out of the ground and raised a huge cloud of dust that darkened the sky over them and scattered rocks in all directions. The shockwave from the blast circled around the wall and the sound of crushing metal echoed through the forest.

The firefight at the east gate went silent for a brief moment as the Mandalorians and the Imperial soldiers both froze at the sound. The Imperial soldiers renewed their assault bolstered by the sound that could only be the beginning of the Sith's attack. The Mandalorians returned fire but not with as many rifles as some retreated from the wall to reinforce the defenses inside the fort.

Anise took a running start and ran up the damaged wall. She caught the top with one hand and swung her body over and dropped down inside. The soldier who had survived his fall from the wall managed to squeeze off a shot that Anise caught in the palm of her hand. With a short gesture with her other hand she seized him with the Force and launched him face first into the mangled wall. His armor clanged against the metal wall that folded partly around him, the impact fusing the two metals together, the remains of the entombed Mandalorian oozing from the cracks in the armor.

She moved towards the center building and immediately encountered four soldiers who raised their rifles as she turned a corner. An arc of Force Lightning spread out from her right hand striking all four dead before any could pull a trigger.

She continued toward the building. As she passed a narrow passageway three soldiers that had abandoned the east gate charged at her. A thin beam of Force Lightning burst from her left hand. It struck the first soldier dead, leaped from his body into the second, then from the second to the third. Again all three died before firing a shot.

Talus managed to climb over the mangled wall. He did not attack anyone inside the compound. Instead he took a position where he could watch Anise operate without attracting too much attention. He stayed away from the fight and fed off the panic sweeping through the fort.

Anise entered the center building. The Mandalorian leader was waiting for his Sith attacker there. He wore thick heavy armor with flamethrowers on his wrists and a pike is his hands with sparks of electricity dripping from the tip. He hesitated when Anise appeared in the doorway as his brain took an extra thought to associate her with the assault on his clan.

He adjusted the angle of his pike and struck downwardly at her chest. She leaped over the tip, planted her left foot on the shaft of the pike between his hands and projected herself over him kicking his helmet off his head as she landed softly on the ground behind him. The helmet ricocheted off the far wall. He fell onto his knees stunned from the impact, blood streaming from his forehead. She stood behind him summoning the pike to her. It flew out of his hands and backwards towards her. She caught it in both hands, stepping forward she drove the pike through his back, piercing his armor, his heart, and emerging in the front through his armor again. Anise had left the building before his body even hit the ground.

She continued her death march around the camp. The sound of gunfire at the east gate diminished as more soldiers left to join the battle inside the compound. Talus couldn't always see her but he could follow her location by the sound of screams and of crushing metal, the crackle of Force Lightning. He would see her disappear inside one tent, a flash of light illuminated it from the inside, then she moved on to the next.

Talus was waiting for one final test. He searched for something else he had read in the intelligence reports and what logic itself would require the existence of. He could sense its location through the Force, the sense of life was dwindling everywhere else. In the ground, expertly camouflaged was a steel trap door. He took a position with a clear line of sight to it and waited for Anise to find it.

It didn't take long. She worked her way back toward Talus having already killed all the soldiers around the gate. The Imperial soldiers continued to fire on the fort but no one was firing back. Anise stomped towards the trap door sensing the life behind it. She stopped directly in front of it and raised her hand. The metal from the door peeled back shearing in two. A woman dressed in street clothes but carrying a vibrosword charged Anise screaming a loud war cry at the top of her lungs. Anise stopped the woman in her tracks with one glance from her menacing yellow eyes.

Anise grabbed the woman with an invisible hand and jerked her off the ground crushing her throat. The woman gagged and clawed at her neck trying to get a single breath. Underneath the peeled door was a small room full of children, infant to toddlers, anyone too small to fight. Without a moments hesitation Anise sent a broad arc of Force Lightning into the room that leapt from body to tiny body, killing them all.

Anise stomped towards Talus, pushing the woman gasping for breath through the air with her. She stopped directly in front of him practically standing on his toes. She stared up into his eyes driving the now dead woman headfirst into the ground at his side. Her eyes glowed yellow. The intensity excited him, to stare into pure hatred and rage. Her jaw was clinched and her brows folded over her eyes. She put her hands on both hips and prodded him again with her Force bond.

Talus looked around the camp confirming what he already knew; they were all gone. The gunfire was silent but for his own soldiers outside the walls.

His eyes lowered to see Anise still standing, still glaring and demanding. He relented and allowed their bond to intertwine again. Anise's jaw relaxed. Her shoulders sloped down as her hands dropped again at her sides. She stepped back giving Talus space to move as her eyes gradually returned to their natural green. The emotion drained from her face until it was once again without expression.

Talus smiled to himself. He pulled his communicator from his uniform and issued orders to his soldiers.

The Imperial soldiers entered the camp. Talus' shuttle landed on top of the flattened tents. The commander once again stood before him and awaited further instructions.

"Find the target's body and bring it aboard the ship. Secure the compound. Take anything of value. I will go and report to Darth Vuull."

"It will be done, my lord."

"Come, Anise," Talus said, as he placed his hand gently on her back guiding her up the boarding ramp. He allowed the smile to show on his face. He had his weapon, and she was every bit as lethal as he dreamed she would be.


	4. Luxury's Taste

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**Luxury's Taste**

Duros' Corellian Defender class light frigate landed on a well decorated landing pad just outside the presidential palace located in the center of Cimri's capital city. The landing pad was reserved for special guests only and a visit from the Jedi was an exceptionally rare event. Cimri's government had prepared a full welcoming party worthy of the Republic's Chancellor himself.

The frigate's loading ramp lowered to the sound of a full marching band. Two dozen soldiers in full ceremonial dress scrambled to line up on either side of the ramp before the guests could walk down. Surrounding the landing pad hundreds of Cimri's citizens stood behind metal gates, stretching their necks and holding their children on shoulders trying to get a peek at the important guests. In front of the gates stood the heads of the entire presidential administration. The highest ranking general moved into position at the end of the ramp to greet their guests.

Inside the frigate, just out of sight of the adoring crowds stood the Jedi Knight Lenora Cyntesa and Jedi Master Duros Sar'on.

"This is incredible," Lenora gasped as she peeked out of the ship at the crowds and music. "Is this how Jedi Masters are usually greeted? I've never seen anything like it!"

Duros peeked out as well.

"This is a little over the top," he said dryly.

"I guess they really want to make an impression. Maybe they were expecting the whole Jedi Council?" she joked.

Duros stood up straight and pulled the hood of his brown robe up over his head.

"Let's not disappoint them. Let us accept their hospitality on behalf of the Council, and the Republic."

Lenora peeked outside again then turned and bowed to Duros.

"After you Master Jedi, your people await."

Duros shook his head and frowned as he walked passed her down the ramp. The crowd's loud murmur increased in volume at the appearance of the first boots to emerge from the ship.

Duros' traditional Jedi robe was tied closed around his waist. The hem nearly touched the floor as he descended onto the platform in front of the General. He walked with his arms folded in front of his chest hidden inside the sleeves.

Lenora followed him down the ramp wearing a similar traditional styled robe, the hoop raised and her arms held in the same pattern as Duros. Her outfit was for the crowd's and Duros' benefit. She did not like the look of the robe at all and chose to wear it as infrequently as possible.

She kept her head still under her hood but her eyes were moving around trying to keep one eye on Duros for clues as to protocol and the other on the adoring crowd.

They stood astride at the bottom of the ramp and were greeted by the general. He snapped into position in front of Duros and saluted. Duros gave a slight bow in acknowledgment. The General slid to his side and snapped into position in front of Lenora and offered the same salute. She copied Duros' response. The crowd applauded loudly in appreciation.

"I am General Kin Shivtel, and it is an honor to welcome you to Cimri, the greatest nation on Ceeriun," said the general in a voice loud and concise as he spoke over the music. He continued, "Please allow me to show you the palace where you will meet our wise and gracious President."

He stood at attention and waited for a response. The crowd noise lowered slightly.

"Thank you, General Shivtel, for your most generous welcome. Please show us the way," Duros replied.

The general snapped around 180 degrees and walked crisply toward the palace escorting the Jedi passed the now frenzied crowd that had become a sea of hands stretching to touch the guests passing by. Soldiers kept the crowd contained and neither Duros nor Lenora accepted an extended hand.

They were not taken directly to their rooms. A path through the palace was chosen to demonstrate the luxury of the Presidential Palace. The corridors they walked were lavishly decorated. Statues of generations of heads of state stood inside small cut-outs lining the main hall. The General stayed in front of the Jedi leading them on this winding path. The President's cabinet moved as a pack behind the Jedi for the entire journey.

As they approached individual offices along the way, its occupants would empty out into the hallway and line up along the wall waving and bowing as they passed.

Lenora was taken away by the respect and honor she was being showered with. No where on Tython would she ever receive such respect from the locals, some of whom owed her their very lives. Duros seemed to have no reaction at all. She kept her feelings to herself, not betraying them outwardly, though she had no doubt Duros could sense it.

Just as the circuitous path taken to their quarters was about to border on the absurd they finally reached their destination. The General held up an arm directing attention to two large double doors. Two servants immediately grabbed each handle and with a well rehearsed motion opened both doors simultaneously.

Lenora's eyes widened and mouth dropped open when she looked inside. The room was immense and decorated everywhere with gold, silver, and other precious metals. It was densely furnished with tables, chairs, couches, all finely hand crafted. Baskets of fresh fruit were on several tables. There were more closed doors around the edges leading into additional rooms. She felt the reaction form on her face and tried quickly to return to a neutral look.

"These accommodations were prepared for you," the general announced. "You must please forgive us, we were unaware you would be accompanied by your Padawan…"

Lenora lifted her head to speak but Duros stopped her with subtle gesture.

"…if you will allow us some time we will have a second room prepared with haste."

"Thank you, General Shivtel, but these rooms will serve all of our needs. And please forgive me for not notifying you of your additional guest. May I introduce to you Lenora Cyntesa, Knight of the Jedi order. I only learned moments before our departure from Tython of her availability."

"Two Jedi," he replied with happy surprise. "We are truly honored."

The General motioned again to invite the Jedi to enter the suite. They did so and the crowd of escorts left them. Only the general and the servants holding the doors open remained.

"Please make yourselves at home and rest from your journey. And if you need anything, please, it would be our honor. We will have an escort come to bring you to dinner this evening. You will be guests of honor at a great banquet."

The general saluted again and left the Jedi alone. The two servants closed the doors with the same well rehearsed timing.

Lenora immediately pulled off her hood and worked the robe off dropping it across the back of a nearby chair.

"Padawan?" she sniffed.

Duros smiled and laughed silently. He slid his own hood down and looked around the room.

Lenora walked to the back wall that was lined with windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. She ran her fingers along the drapes that hung around each one.

"I've never felt anything so soft," she exclaimed. She massaged the drapes on the next window and rubbed the material against her face. She moved all around the room touching all the fabrics, slid her hands over the beautifully sculpted wood finishing, the gold pitchers, crystal glasses, enthralled by the luxury, every so many steps punctuated with new gasps and sudden inhales.

She popped a door open and found the bedroom. Her jaw dropped again as she stared into the room. She felt her way around this room as well, but hesitated with her hands above the pillows almost afraid to know. Finally she ran her hands reverently over one sliding her hand down and between the sheets.

"Wow," was all she could think to say. She turned to look back at the doorway that was now filled by Duros watching her and smiling.

"Master Sar'on, do you think…" she couldn't finish the sentence.

"You may have the bed. I'm sure the couch outside is both larger and softer than my bed at the Temple."

Lenora beamed a big grin and hopped up onto the bed sprawling out across it on her back and stared up at the sculpted ceiling.

"I can't believe this," she giggled.

"This is too over the top," said Duros. "I have a feeling there is more to this trip than a simple diplomatic meeting."

Lenora stopped fussing over the comforter and tried to mirror Duros' concern.

"What do you think it is?" she asked as she sat up.

"I don't know. Maybe it's nothing more than some over-zealous underling. Well let's get some rest anyway. It seems we have a state dinner to attend."

He shrugged and walked out of the room. As soon as he left the room Lenora yanked the straps loose and stripped off the armor covering her chest and shoulders. Then she made pile of boots, mesh skirt, and long sleeve body suit, belts, pack, and one double-bladed saber hilt on the floor. She wanted nothing between her skin and the lush sheets she slid in between. She hugged the covers around her neck, nestled her face into the pillows and quickly faded off to sleep.

She was awakened some time later by Duros' voice outside the door talking to a woman, their escort to dinner no doubt. She rubbed her eyes not sure how long she was out. She kicked off the sheets, scooped up the pile of clothes from the floor and leaned her back against the door so it could not be opened. She dressed there as quickly as she could. She used her fingers as a brush and did the best she could to smooth out her hair and tied it back again.

The Jedi Knights were guests of honor at a lavish state dinner. More than two hundred guests filled the large banquet hall. They did briefly meet the President but no business could be discussed at such an affair. They played the role of honored guests; acted as the President's props for the night and finished dinner making small talk with the others guests rich and powerful enough to garner an invitation. Lenora sat silently most of the night trying to act the role of the wise but silent Jedi, she gave the most cryptic answers she could think of to any question offered to her. She wore the Jedi robe over her armor per Duros' request.

The next day also proved too difficult to meet with the President, and the day after. Each time attempts were made to meet they were blocked by scheduling conflicts or last minute emergencies. Duros made it clear to the representatives that he was leaving to two days' time with or without an agreement.

Lenora made the most of her visit. She enjoyed the bed and slept better than she thought she ever had, and tried not to enjoy too much the constant attention to her every need. She questioned Duros frequently about the war before the Treaty of Coruscant. He told her stories about her former master to pass the time. He even taught her some of the strategies he used in lightsaber duels.

The time spent on Cimri was peaceful. Lenora especially enjoyed being away from Tython for a change. But the peace was undercut by a feeling of uneasiness that neither of them could fully understand nor discount. The President was obviously stalling them. They could offer no clear reason as to why. Underneath all the pomp and ceremony there was a growing fear. And it was getting near the time to leave.


	5. The Sith's Ambassador

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**The Sith's Ambassador**

A nearly life-sized hologram of Darth Vuull was projected into the center of the conference room table inside Talus' receiving room aboard his Gage Class Transport. Talus stood up from his chair and stood in front of the image. The room was brightly lit and the blue image appeared dull in comparison.

"Master," Talus bowed his head to the image.

"You took much too long to complete your mission, Lord Talus. I was beginning to think you had failed me. Or worse, disregarded my will," Vuull said in an accusing tone.

"Never, Master. Your will is done. The Mandalorian is dead with all who aided him."

"Good. We have more enemies to rid ourselves of, Lord Talus."

Talus hid the disgust he felt for his master and these petty missions he was sent on while Vuull had two complete planets to rule over, assisted by weaker Sith than he.

"What is your will," he said raising his head high.

"There has been a report of traitors in our midst. I want you to show them what happens to Sith who betray their Emperor. Go to Balmorra. Seek out the Imperial Agent Morgon. It seems he has been selling information to the Republic about Sith _sympathetic_ to their cause. Find the location of the traitors and destroy them."

"As you command, Darth Vuull," Talus said as he bowed again. "And what of the agent, after he provides me with this information?"

"Nothing. Leave him be."

"I will leave at once for Balmorra."

"Good. Report to me when they are dead."

The hologram vanished. Talus climbed the steps and sat back in his chair. He pressed buttons on the armrest until he heard an acknowledgment from the bridge.

"Set a course for Ceeriun. Stay out of range of any planetary sensors. I don't want anyone to discover our arrival."

"Yes, my lord."

He disconnected the communication and walked toward a nearby door. He slid open the entrance to his private chambers. He approached Anise who stood in the corner facing the walls. She let one hand slide over the crevices in the wall acting if she were afraid to make contact too long with it as if hovering over a hot surface. She whispered to herself in her native language. Talus stroked her hair gently.

"We have a small score to settle on the way to Balmorra."

#

The sun had not yet risen on Cimri. Duros and Lenora sat on a stone bench in a courtyard just outside the Presidential Palace. They chose one of the few spots that were illuminated by a soft light overhead.

The palace was an ancient stone structure that rose more than ten stories high. The lower third of the building had been expanded and covered with modern steel. It took on the look of most modern cities complete with multiple landing bays for space faring ships, but the high stone structure gave Cimri its old-world feel. It reminded everyone that this nation had only recently discovered space travel.

They sat facing each other meditating. Lenora did not wear her Jedi robe this time preferring the look of her armor. Not many people were around so early so she reasoned a little less formal attire would be acceptable.

Duros always wore his robe and never wore armor of any kind. He explained any armor thick enough to be useful in a battle would be too heavy to carry, it simultaneously added protection from a hit and increased your chances of getting hit. It was a wash in his mind. He was one of the few Jedi Weapon Masters that did not wear armor.

They meditated on the Jedi code, cleared their minds of the frustrations of the mission and the sense of fear that was increasing in the palace. They were at peace.

Duros opened his eyes and watched Lenora. Her eyes fluttered under her eyelids. Sensing his gaze she opened her eyes as well. They shared a silence.

"What?" Lenora asked getting uncomfortable.

Duros shook his head and looked down at the floor.

"Nothing," he said.

"What is it?" she probed again.

"If I was inclined to train you," Duros answered, changing the subject, "the first thing I would do is tell you to get rid of that double bladed saber you carry and use a single hilt."

Lenora opened her mouth wide, feigning outrage.

"How dare you insult my lightsaber," she gasped.

"They are big and clumsy. The attack radius is too long."

"No one has ever accused me of being slow."

"You're not slow. Imagine how fast you would be if you didn't have to worry about accidentally cutting yourself in half every time you swung your blade at someone."

"It's not that bad," Lenora laughed as she answered. "You just have to be careful, that's all. It's not much different with a single hilt. Besides, I could always just use the one side if I wanted."

"I've asked the Council to ban the weapons," Duros said.

"Are you serious?" Lenora asked, not sure by his delivery if he was serious or not.

"So far they just laugh at me, but one day…"

They laughed together.

"So have you given any thought to our duel on Tython?" Duros asked her.

"There's not much to think about," Lenora answered.

"Well there's your first mistake. It was very instructive."

"You're too fast. I can't get through your defenses."

"I would say we're about the same speed. If you used a single hilt you would probably be even faster than I am."

"You seemed pretty fast to me."

"It wasn't speed. Look, you are very skilled. Your movements are fluid, your balance perfect. Your strikes true and controlled, technically sound. I couldn't improve on any of that. Master Moross taught you very well."

"So it's hopeless then?" Lenora asked only half joking.

"You are so technically sound I could predict your every move. You perform exactly as you were taught. It's as if you're someone learning to dance counting the steps out loud. You telegraph each attack. You think too much and you're too disciplined in your forms. I could tell by just how you shifted your weight between your toes and heels when you had switched forms."

"I had no idea I was so predictable. I feel embarrassed."

"Don't be. We train Padawans all the same way with all the technical details. In reality, most don't really master it enough to really get it. You end up with a Jedi mostly sound, technically. The degree to which they are off makes them unique and somewhat unpredictable in battle. You have perfected your technique like few could. In the short term it's a hindrance. If you build on it, you could be one of the Masters."

"How?"

"The short answer is don't be so predictable. A longer answer? Don't just enter a battle and start selecting attacks like you're picking through a sequence of moves from some learned set. Frankly, you have too many moves to choose from anyway. Most of us pick one form we're most comfortable in and perfect it. It means there are fewer options to keep track of in combat. You seem to move through all the forms equally at this point. That's ok. I mean, it's incredible, but one is fine if you really perfect it. Having so many options is part of your problem. It takes time to pick a form and an attack rather than just an attack.

"So, step one is simplify. I'd usually say pick one form. In your case pick two and stick with them.

"Step two, don't just enter a battle and react. Skill and power is no match for strategy. Against a weaker opponent you could simply overwhelm them with your speed and power, as you did sparring against your peers in the temple. Against a superior opponent, against a Sith, you will need a strategy. Every battle can be won no matter the relative power of the combatants. Of course every battle can be lost as well."

Lenora expressed gratitude without a sound. She took his words to heart and started to replay the battle in her mind. The sky above them was still black but it had started to lighten up. The two Jedi renewed their meditation.

#

An Imperial shuttle came to a rest in an empty field on Ceeriun. It had completed its zig-zag journey passed Cimri's low tech radar stations and landed undetected thirty miles from the Presidential Palace. Its doors opened and the soldiers immediately emerged and did a quick sweep of the surrounding area. Lord Talus exited a few minutes later with Anise in tow.

They walked away from the soldiers a few paces from the shuttle. The sky was too dark for Talus to see much so he walked carefully. Anise moved with ease.

Talus sent pictures to her mind through their bond. He showed her the face of a man, a picture of the palace and its location, distance and direction. Anise stared up into the tree tops listening to the birds that had started to stir. She watched the strange mammals hopping along the ground, darting between the shadows. Talus sent her feelings of hatred and betrayal, the justice of a swift death. Anise inhaled the air deeply that funneled through the forested landscape.

Talus left Anise there and walked back to the shuttle. He boarded the vessel with his soldiers and closed the door. She pulled her robe up a few inches and watched her foot kick over a stick that had rested half way on top of a fallen tree. Meditating aboard his shuttle he once again cut off his Force Bond with Anise.

She immediately slapped both hands over her ears and spun around to find the shuttle. Its engines engaged and it lifted off the ground. Anise sprinted to the door and slammed both fists against the sealed door. The shuttle lifted off the ground too high for her to reach. She slid down onto her knees and stared up through tears at the shuttle hovering overhead but it did not leave. Her sobbing stopped and she remembered the vision of the man, the palace, the hate, and the betrayal.

Anise ran as fast as she could toward the Presidential Palace. She ran through forests and small towns. She made no effort to disguise or hide her presence. The few people up and out predawn that saw her had no explanation for the red and black blur that streaked passed them. Some even chalked it up to the dark playing tricks on them. She never stopped or slowed down until she was just outside the palace.

The black sky had turned dark blue. She looked over the palace. She could feel hundreds of lives inside. She didn't know enough to sense her target. She needed a way inside. She found a spot on the stone portion of the palace high above the steel lower layers where the stones looked loose.

Sensing no one around her she took a running start and leaped up onto the roof of the three story lower level. Moving quickly across the roof she made her way to the stone section that climbed up to the sky. Using the crevices between the bricks as hand holds, she moved swiftly up the wall several more stories to the loose section. Bracing with one hand on the wall she pushed the bricks inside the building, creating an opening just wide enough to squeeze through.

Inside, Anise moved silently across the floor. There were only a few people on this level. She searched their rooms, looking for the face Talus had shown her. She moved through darkness like it was day. Completing her search on the top floor undetected she moved down to the next.


	6. An Attacker Found

**CHAPTER SIX**

**An Attacker Found**

Duros and Lenora continued their meditation on the stone bench. The sky had turned blue and soon the sun would rise to warm the damp air. They had done this every morning they were on Cimri. It had become Lenora's favorite part of the trip.

Their meditation was interrupted by a pronounced fear, much sharper than the general perception that had been building throughout their trip. The emotion disturbed her and she opened her eyes. Duros' eyes were already open and he had turned to face a small group of armed men running towards them.

Lenora stood up and reached toward her waist where her lightsaber hilt hung but she stopped before pulling it into her hand when she noticed Duros made no such move. The man in the lead of the group shouted to them as he got close.

"Jedi, you must come quickly!"

"What is it? What's wrong?" Duros asked trying to calm the guard with his voice.

"An assassin has broken into the palace. He hunts the President! You must help."

"The President has guards, doesn't he?" Duros prodded, unsure why the reaction seemed so out of proportion to the threat.

"The assassin is a Sith! Please!" the guard motioned, pleading for the Jedi to follow. Lenora looked nervously to Duros who had started to follow the guards.

"I suppose I shouldn't bother to ask why a Sith would want to kill your president," Dorus asked rhetorically.

The entire group jogged around a corner and joined up with another group headed by General Shivtel that was staring up and pointing to a hole in the stone section of the palace more than seven stories overhead.

"He must have entered there," the General said handing a set of macrobinoculars to Duros. He looked through them at the hole. Several sets of numbers printed at the side of the image showed distance, elevation, and the size of the viewing area.

"It's a pretty small hole," he said passing the equipment to Lenora. "You sure they didn't just come loose?"

"They were pushed in from the outside. One guard has already been found dead on one of the top floors," the General answered. "It is a Sith assassin."

"Not a very good one if he's killing people already. Not exactly hiding, is he?"

Duros motioned for the group to be silent and stretched out through the Force. He tried to detect a Dark Force user but the palace was silent. All he could sense was the fear that had escalated even further in the last few minutes.

"I don't feel anything," he said to Lenora. "Do you?"

She shook her head in response.

#

Anise slipped out of another bedroom on one of the upper floors. She pressed herself against the wall on the darker side of the hallway. The hallway had no artificial light and was still dark as the gray blue sky only dimly illuminated a small section around the narrow windows that were sparsely spread along the wall. A group of soldiers marched passed her oblivious to her existence as they got into position to search starting at the far end of the floor.

The activity on the lower floors picked up dramatically. Anise felt her target must be the center of that activity. She moved toward the stairs to find her way down. She kept one hand touching the wall as she walked as if she could use the vibrations in the wall to discover her prey. She 'listened' as she walked. She opened a door and moved out onto the landing at the top of one flight of stairs. She looked back over her shoulder just as two guards walked up that same flight.

They had an electronic sensor to try to detect life. It squealed at them when it detected Anise. They both stopped short surprised to see the form at the top of the stairs they somehow managed to miss seeing until this moment.

"Young lady," one of the guards called out to her. "Get back to your room. Where are your parents?"

Anise turned back towards them barely aware of their existence. They both shined flashlights up at the ceiling trying to use the diffused light to see her without getting a beam into her eyes. When she turned the light reflected off her large green eyes. The soldiers dropped their flashlights and scanners and scrambled to raise their weapons. Anise raised a hand and blasted them with Force Lightning, killing them both instantly and sending them tumbling backwards down the stairs. She continued to the lower level stepping over their bodies.

#

Duros' eyes popped open and he turned quickly to Lenora.

"Did you feel that?" he asked her, his voice flat.

She didn't answer with a word but the wide-eyed expression on her face told him that she did.

Duros started a slow jog around to the nearest entrance to the palace. The General and everyone else followed.

"There is indeed a Sith assassin inside this building. A powerful one, judging by how well he masks his presence. There is no way to protect your President in here. The Sith can hide unseen for weeks if necessary before striking. The only way to save his life is to get him out."

"Can't you protect him? You are a Jedi!" the General protested.

"We're not here as body guards. Get the President on a ship now. He'll be safe off the ground. We'll go inside to flush the assassin out. Perhaps he will leave once he realizes he has been discovered."

The General was not pleased with the outcome of the exchange and made no secret of it, but the solution offered did seem the best to the immediate problem. He ordered his men to send more soldiers to secure the President and escort him to the hanger bay on the ground floor. Pilots were ordered to prepare for take-off.

Duros and Lenora split off from the group that continued on to secure the hanger. They ran along a hallway that connected the old stone structure in the center to this portion of the lower levels. The hallway was intersected perpendicularly by another long corridor. The intersection was wider than both hallways, effectively forming a large room. The tops of both hallways were lined with windows that let natural light in from the outside. The artificial lights turned off in anticipation of the rising sun making up the difference.

Duros stopped in the intersection. He closed his eyes and tried to use his sense in the Force to find the Sith. Lenora stood silently but squeezed and twisted her saber hilt in her hands.

"His signature…I can barely sense him…but he is coming this way, so slowly. The President will have time if he hurries."

"How does an assassin compare to say, a Sith Lord?" Lenora asked, feeling silly as soon as the question left her mouth.

"Any Sith is dangerous. They are all killers. Do not take any lightly. We are in danger. But the Force is our ally; do not fear."

She thought about protesting the accusation but it was pointless. She was scared. She had never seen a Sith since the one that killed her master. She trained every day to fight them, but still she felt this was too soon. She wanted more time to get ready. Her heart rate and breathing accelerated. Her hands were becoming numb from the grip on her saber. She trusted Duros to keep her safe and from being taken by surprise. She focused on her Jedi teachings to calm her nerves:

_There is no emotion, there is peace._

_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._

_There is no passion, there is serenity._

_There is no chaos, there is harmony._

_There is no death, there is the Force._

It didn't work.

Duros watched Lenora meditate. He gave a slight nod in approval to no one in particular.

"We'll wait here," he said to her. "He'll have to pass this way to get to the President. We'll have more room to maneuver here than anywhere else inside the palace anyway."

Lenora said nothing in reply, not even moving her position, still twisting the hilt in her hands only occasionally letting go with one hand to shake out the cramps.

"The strategy here is simple."

Lenora turned wide-eyed toward Duros.

"Keep your defenses up but do not attack. An assassin generally doesn't want to fight out in the open. We may be able to get out of this without killing anyone. If a battle becomes inevitable, I will strike first. Your job is to stay close but defend only. Your presence and skill with your saber will keep him distracted. Let me handle the offense. I don't want you opening up yourself to a counter-attack. You are strong Lenora. Feel the Force. Clear your mind of fear and hate."

Lenora closed her eyes again and tried to calm her heart.

Two soldiers jogged passed them and ran down the hallway facing away from them.


	7. First Strike

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**First Strike**

Anise worked her way down to the lowest level. When still in a shadow guards would walk passed her inches away and not see her. Only guards with electronic sensors discovered her presence and were killed instantly for their success, although no more than six had died to get her this far.

She followed the frenzy of activity down to the first floor. She stepped out of a stairway and walked down a hallway toward the hanger. Still she kept one hand touching the wall as she walked. She could feel the voices shouting on the other side of the building vibrating in the wall, the slamming doors, stomping of feet. She used the Force to follow the emotions she felt. Fear called to her like a beacon.

Two soldiers turned the corner and ran right passed her oblivious to her presence. She slid further along the wall to the corner. She could sense two Force users nearby.

Duros waved a signal to Lenora to be ready. She too could now feel the presence of another Force user, though only the faintest perception, easily missed had she not been actively searching for it. They moved closer to the hallway and took up positions opposite of each other near each wall but still in the open area of the hallway.

A shadow moved, turned the corner into the hallway. When it stopped moving it all but vanished from sight. It moved again getting closer to them; as it approached it started to take a humanoid shape, the figure slight.

Anise walked through a beam of light that entered a window high on one side of the hallway. The light reflected off her eyes and made them appear to glow eerily to Duros and Lenora. The black pupils retreated into black lines until out of the beam that continued to illuminate blood red hair draped over her narrow shoulders and back.

Lenora looked to Duros for reassurance but he was not looking back. He was focused on the Sith before him.

"Why are you here, Sith?" Duros demanded.

Anise had no reaction. She continued her same pace, hand pressed to the wall. Her free hand shielding her eyes as she walked through another beam of light.

"There is no target for you today. Return to your master. Tell him you failed," Duros tried again.

Duros spoke with such forcefulness, and authority Lenora thought his voice alone would cause a Sith to flee. This one did not. She kept getting closer.

In the distance behind them a pair of heavy doors slid open with a clang. The sounds of engines rumbled through the new opening and poured down the hallway. The echoes of dozens of feet stomping quickly towards the open doors followed next. The President ran in the center of that pack being pushed and dragged along the hallway and scrambling up the boarding ramp. The singular fear like a signal flare moved with the frenzied group.

Anise stepped away from the wall and her head turned towards the source. She took a step, much faster than the previous pace she established coming down the hallway.

Duros stepped into her path and ignited his lightsaber. Lenora lit hers as well but did not change position.

"You will not…" Duros started to say.

Anise made the slightest gesture with her left hand towards Duros and sent a Force Push towards him.

He detected the attack and tried to counter with a push in the opposite direction to cancel it out. His effort was too slow and too weak. The telekinetic attack, concentrated into an area no bigger than her fist, slammed into his lower abdomen.

The impact threw Duros away from her. His body folded in two so suddenly that his forehead was split open smashing into his knee. His lungs deflated instantly making a disturbing, garbling sound that weakened Lenora's knees as she watched him skid to a stop and roll onto his stomach, his eyes squeezed shut, barely moving.

Lenora held her saber in front of her bracing for an attack. Anise seemed to not be aware of her instead focusing still on the commotion. She started walking towards the sound as she nonchalantly pointed her right hand at Lenora as she passed by and launched a Force Lightning burst in her direction and ran off towards the hanger.

Lenora intercepted the arcs of white and purple lightning with her lightsaber. The lightning hit her blue blade and leaped immediately from it into her body. The shock threw her down, her body twisted and convulsed on the floor. The room went white as every nerve in her body sent signals of pain back to her mind. She writhed on the ground until her overloaded mind gave up and she mercifully lost consciousness.

Duros opened his eyes to see Anise sprint off down the hall toward the hanger bay and Lenora down on the ground, purple sparks randomly leaping from one part of her body to another.

He dragged himself to his feet and tried to walk toward Lenora. The pain in his body threw him back down. He could feel the blood pooling inside his abdomen from the torn organs. He tried to ignore it and hoisted himself off the floor again. He scrambled as quickly as he could using one hand to hold his guts together, his free hand holding the ground for balance.

He fell again after only a few steps and called out to Lenora. She was motionless on the ground. Ignoring the pain he lifted himself up again and ran the final few steps and dropped to his knees at her side. He exhaled in relief when he rolled her onto her back and saw that she was still breathing.

Another spark emerged from her temple and immediately triggered a seizure. Duros turned her onto her side and pressed her twitching body against his thighs and leaned over her. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the Force, drawing its power into his body. Cell by cell, his body vibrated with renewed energy. Damaged cells used the energy to repair themselves, torn tissue began to coalesce. He visualized his entire body glowing blue with healing energy. The 'glow' that engulfed his body drifted into Lenora's.

Her seizure slowed as the energy worked its way through her body repairing nerves and restoring her nervous system's equilibrium.

#

Anise sprinted toward the hanger. She now knew the exact location of her target.

The president was already on board his vessel. The engines were running and they needed only seconds to get if off the ground. The hanger doors were shut tight and reinforced blast doors slid over them. A dozen soldiers guarded the entrance to stop anyone from getting inside.

She ran full speed toward the hanger, dashing passed soldiers too slow to react to the red flash that shot passed them chest high.

She turned one more corner and stopped instantly and sent a Force Push careening down the hallway. The blast drove all twelve soldiers into the door and walls. The doors bent from the impact, the palace shook. All the soldiers caught in the path were crushed.

The overly casual pilot of the president's escape plan snapped his head around when he heard the sound of something very powerful hit the other side of the hanger doors. The doors now had a rounded appearance, not the flat perpendicular shape it had only a moment ago when he last looked. He had been going through the motions of an emergency evacuation but he felt the security team was overreacting. Taking another moment to understand the force necessary to damage the hanger doors he then turned to his co-pilot. His orders took on a new sense of urgency.

Anise's face crumpled up in disgust when she saw the doors still closed. She inhaled deeply and twisted her body to one side holding her hands closely together. Force energy collected between her hands pushing short bursts of air and sparks out to the sides. Finally snapping out of her twist, unwinding her body, she sent all the energy towards the doors.

The telekinetic blast thundered into the hanger's entrance. The doors were crushed and bent in, nearly folding in half. The ceiling and walls surrounding them crumbled. The sound waves ripped down the palace corridors and the entire building lurched as if it had been pulled off its foundation.

The blast continued passed the doors and slammed into the vessel centered in the hanger bay. It hit the front of the cockpit jolting the vessel along the ground more than a yard. The impact compressed the windows creating a blast of air inside the cockpit that hit the pilot and copilot pressing them both back in their chairs.

"Get this thing off the ground," the copilot shouted, then froze as Anise hopped over the mangled hanger doors, large yellow eyes with black slits glaring up at the ship.

The pilot fired the lift engines. Flames shot out from the bottom and the ship lifted off the ground. He leaned hard on the stick turning the ship away from the damaged doors towards the opening on the opposite side. Had he been facing the opposite way he could have fired the main engines and just blasted out. The pilot was afraid this mistake may have just cost him his life.

He barked orders at his copilot. He responded with loud, curt retorts, the tension and fear mounting.

The pilot put his hand on the throttle, murmuring to himself waiting for the open gates to come to view. All he could see was the metal walls as his ship twisted around, until the ship stopped twisting.

Anise took position under the turning vessel. She raised both hands and seized the ship with the Force to hold it in place. The pilot had already maxed out all of the lift engines. He had no backup plan, he just leaned harder on the stick and cursed at the controls.

The copilot shouted, "fire the engines now!"

"We'll fly into the wall you idiot." He thought for a moment and ordered, "Shoot her. Arm the lasers."

The copilot flipped switches, activated targeting computers and radar and video surveillance equipment. A disturbing sound froze his actions. He turned slowly to the pilot as the sound returned. It wasn't a loud sound but was deep and vibrated into their chests. They could feel the sound more than hear it. It was the sound of metal stretching, straining to hold its shape. The sound was punctuated by three loud popping noises, like small explosions. A fourth pop and alarms went off in the cockpit.

"The hull's breached!" the copilot said.

The pilot shook his head in disbelief, "She's tearing the ship in half."

The copilot starting firing all the ships blasters randomly in all directions. He had no idea where Anise was standing other than she was in the hanger.

She stood under the ship, her face straining as she pulled in two directions with all her power. None of the blaster fire came close to hitting her, but the secondary explosions, the falling debris forced her to move breaking her concentration slightly, but enough that the ship started to rotate again. The copilot fired a missile into the hanger bay where he last saw Anise stand. She had to let the ship go and make a break for the outside before the hanger was filled with the explosive charge.

The ship spun quickly when Anise let it go. The pilot tried to stop it when facing the outside doors but the smoke and fire from the exploding missile obstructed his view. He had to guess, and fired the main engines.

Anise was outside the hanger before the ship was. It flew forward but had turned too far. The front of the ship crashed into the side of the bulkhead. Anise sent another push into the ship's underside causing it to also smash into the top of the hanger on exit. The ship emerged from the explosion spinning out of control leaving a trail of metal parts along the ground behind it. Anise sent a sustained blast of Force Lightning into the ship before it was too high for her power to reach.

The shock knocked the power out of the heavily damaged ship. It rose high in the air moving away from the palace but it quickly lost altitude and spun out of control. Anise ran along on the ground easily keeping pace with it until it crashed upside down more than a mile from the palace in the middle of a wooded area.

#

The first blast into the hanger doors jarred Lenora awake. Duros lifted his head up, stopped using his power to heal, and helped her to her feet.

"Are you ok?" Duros asked her.

"Yes, I'm fine, I think," she answered checking herself to see if it was true.

They heard the impact that blasted the hanger doors open, the floor shifting under their feet.

"Come on, we have to hurry," Duros said starting to walk, "I'm not sure the President has escaped yet."

Lenora didn't move. She was ashamed of her thoughts as she hoped it was too late, that he was already dead and the Sith would leave.

"We should never have let our guard down," Duros continued. "She caught us by surprise. That was inexcusable."

Lenora grabbed his arm to stop him.

"She didn't catch me by surprise, Master. I defended it perfectly. It just didn't matter."

The two stared silently at each other until the sound of the ship's blasters firing inside the hanger bay caught their attention.

"Wait here. Let me go see what is happening."

"No! I will go with you."

They ran down the hallway toward the broken door of the hanger bay. Flames and smoke poured into the palace from the exploded missile. They heard and felt the ship smash twice into the building and through the Force felt the unmistakable signature of dark side energy bursting into the air.

They couldn't get passed the smoldering hanger and found another way outside the palace. They could see the smoke trail still lingering in the air and a larger cloud that marked the location where that trail ended.

They ran using the power of the Force to increase their speed toward the fallen vessel, slowed and stopped as they reached the clearing created by the wreckage.

The ship had come to a rest on its roof. The seal covering the loading bay was peeled open. Smoke rose into the air from several points along the ship's surface. Anise was several yards away from the wreck, lying on her stomach, her face pointed into the woods away from the two Jedi, her chin resting in her palm, propped up on her elbow. Her right hand carved patterns in the dirt, her feet bent up over her backside with one heel playfully sliding in and out of her shoe.

The two Jedi both lit their lightsabers. Duros motioned to Lenora to check the shuttle while he slowly approached Anise. Lenora peeked inside and saw only dead bodies. There was no sense of life from inside. The President and all the men with him were dead. She looked back at Duros and shook her head.

"Who are you?" demanded Duros.

He kept his lightsaber low pointed directly at Anise. He moved closer to her. Lenora circled around taking a flanking position but keeping more of a distance. Anise showed no reaction.

Duros repeated his question somehow managing to add even more authority to his tone. Anise answered in a robotic, almost mocking voice, as if reading from a language study book, "My name is Anise, what's your name?" She never turned her head to look at either of them.

"I am Jedi Master Duros Sar'on, on a Republic mission. Why have you murdered these people? Who sent you?"

Anise levitated a small object slowly towards Lenora. She raised her saber to stop it. She lowered it when she saw the object was a small gray insect that had curled itself into an armored ball.

"Have you ever seen bug like this before?" Anise asked her. "Seems kind of dumb. Now it's just easier to swallow."

Lenora blinked at it. Anise floated it back and dropped it on the ground again in front of her.

"Are you a Sith?" Lenora asked. There was no answer.

"The dark side surrounds her," Duros answered.

"Yes. I sense it too. But it's not really coming from her."

"That would be me," a deep voice answered them.

Lord Talus stepped out from behind a tree into the clearing directly in front of Anise. Lenora stepped back away from him.

He was the tallest human she had ever seen. His face angular, with a smooth complexion aside from the numerous minor scars. He wore dark charcoal gray armor and a black cloak with a hood. He pushed his hood off as moved closer to Anise revealing his black closely cropped hair. His pale brown eyes moved slowly between Lenora and Duros. The dark side swirled around him. He projected his power. Lenora stared in shock. This is what she feared, what her nightmares told her a Sith was. His power so much greater than any she had felt before. Even Duros seemed to pale in comparison. She took two more steps back.

Talus held his lightsaber in hand but did not raise it or power up the blade. Six soldiers pointed weapons out from behind trees, three on each Jedi. Talus sized up each of the two Jedi. When his eyes fell on Lenora she took another step back.

"Don't bother shooting at the Jedi," he said to his soldiers looking back over his shoulder, "keep your weapons on the Padawan."

On command all six blasters pointed at Lenora. Anise stood up facing Talus. All emotion drained from her face and she was silent.

"Why are you here?" Duros asked him.

"Me? I'm here for my missing child. I see you've found her. Thank you, Jedi," he mocked.

Duros was too far from Lenora. She could not deflect so many rifles. He lowered his lightsaber hoping to lessen his threat and started to step towards her.

"That is far enough," Talus said and Duros stopped.

Talus summoned Anise telepathically, their bond restored after the president's death.

"Did you say 'Duros Sar'on?' I think I know this name," Talus said.

"Really, I don't think we've ever met," Duros said casually.

"No, we have not, but I have heard of you."

"I hope I didn't kill anyone you know."

Duros could not see a viable retreat. He tried to keep the banter going to stall, hoping time would provide an alternative.

"No one I had any use for anyway. Still, he was a good warrior. I understand he lost to you in single combat."

"You'll have to be more specific. It happened a lot during the war."

"I doubt that. But you know how soldiers are. They see something like that and start to spread rumors, like there might be some Jedi who could actually fight a Sith Lord by themselves. Nonsense, of course, but it is sometimes hard to stop the rumors no matter how silly."

"I have an idea," Duros said, "why don't you send your soldiers and little girl here away, I'll ditch the Padawan, the two of us stay here and find out."

Lord Talus put on a big smile and pet Anise's hair.

"That is tempting. I don't get to kill many Jedi these days, peace treaty and all. But I'll have to pass. I'm already quite late for a previous engagement."

"Another time, then."

"Perhaps."

Lord Talus turned away from the Jedi guiding Anise along. The soldiers waited until the Sith Lord was away before pulling out and marching off into the woods after him.

The two Jedi watched them disappear into the forest and then turned off their sabers. Lenora walked up and stood behind Duros looking over his shoulder.

"So, I guess we just let them go then," she stated rather flatly.

"I think that is the wise choice. Let's get back to our ship. I have to report this to the Council. And I think the General has some explaining to do."


	8. Regroup

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**Regroup**

Duros and Lenora sat close together in a conference room on board Duros' Corellian Defender. They had cleared Ceeriun's gravity field and spoke with a hologram of a member of the Jedi Council.

"The General didn't know a lot of details. Not much more than the Sith's name, a Lord Talus. Do you know anything about him?" asked Duros.

"Yes. He was not a major player in the war, but just before the Treaty he began to show up at some ancillary battles. Very powerful in the Force. We don't know why he wasn't more prominent during the war. He has been much more active in recent years though, rising in rank. If he is using a Gage Class Transport for personal trips, perhaps he has more rank and power in the Empire than we supposed. What did he tell you?"

"Their business was not Imperial. Whatever conflict they had was related to personal fortunes. It seems the Sith was not pleased with the terms of their agreement," Duros answered.

"So it would seem."

"What of the alien in the holovid we sent you? Is there any information in the archives of her species?"

"Nothing. Clearly her native planet is not in Republic space or the Outer-Rim. Her appearance would suggest a nocturnal species, but not much beyond that. You describe her power in the Force as exceptional."

"Like nothing I have ever felt before."

"I speak for the entire Jedi Council when I say, we are truly relieved you both have survived your ordeal."

Both Jedi expressed appreciation. The hologram continued, "Especially you, Lenora. Duros spoke especially highly of your bravery."

She looked at Duros with a surprised expression.

"Thank you, both, but perhaps Master Sar'on was too kind in his description."

"Such modesty," the Council member remarked, "Master Sar'on is not one to exaggerate."

Lenora thanked them both again and tried to remove herself from the conversation, sliding back further into her chair.

"It is unfortunate that Cimri's overtures were not sincere," the Council member continued, "but there is perhaps another opportunity to bolster the Republic's strength. We have decided to send the two of you on another mission."

"Certainly. What shall we do?" Duros responded. Lenora leaned forward again.

"We have heard rumors for weeks that a Sith has escaped the Empire and is in hiding, reaching out to the Jedi. In exchange for asylum he can offer us information on the Sith factions and power plays he is aware of. It may be valuable information that we can use to fracture the Empire before the war renews.

"Go to Balmorra. There is an Imperial Agent, a male Chiss called Morgon, that sells information out of a Pazaak den."

"An Imperial agent?"

"Yes, but he's been playing both sides since the Treaty. He's expensive but the information thus far has been solid. We'll transfer ten thousand credits, along with the planetary coordinates and directions to the Pazaak den to you now."

"We'll head to Balmorra at once," Duros answered.

"He may have information about your alien as well since he has access to Imperial databases."

Duros finished the formalities of exiting the conversation and the hologram disappeared.

"What did you tell them?" Lenora asked.

"I told them exactly what happened."

#

Balmorra was technically an independent planet but multiple Imperial Destroyers in orbit belied that assumption. Duros' ship was not registered as a Republic vessel which allowed it to land and get through customs without too much of a hassle.

Jedi were used to receiving cool welcomes from the local residents so Duros and Lenora did not speak much to them. Instead they set out straight for the Pazaak den the Council described.

Morgon was easy to spot as he was the only Chiss inside the den with his characteristic blue skin and red pupil-less eyes. He sat alone at a table near the back with several human companions standing behind him. He facing the entrance and his eyes followed the two Jedi that entered.

Duros confirmed Morgon's identity with the bartender and then walked to his table. Morgon continued shuffling his cards. He was still watching them with his eyes only, his head's position never changed as he followed the Jedi around the room.

"How 'bout a game?" Lenora asked as they approached his table.

"You don't look old enough," he replied, his words smooth and nonthreatening. "I'd hate to take your lunch money. Your daddy looks grumpy as it is."

"We're not playing with lunch money," Lenora said placing the datapad holding the ten thousand credits on the table. Morgon kept shuffling the cards, then stretched out a pinky pressing a button to display the contents. One eyebrow raised as he finished shuffling.

"Well, if that's how you want to play. Out here you play one or two hundred credits a hand. If you want to risk some real money we go into the backroom over there. You bring that datapad with you. We play until I win all your money. How's that sound?"

"What if I win?" Lenora asked playfully.

The Chiss' grin widened, "I suppose there's a first time for everything."

He got up from the table, said a few words to some of the people that worked around the den, then started walking toward the back. He motioned to the Jedi to follow.

They walked into a small room with no windows. Only a single small table stood in the center of the room with four chairs. Morgon held the door open until Duros and Lenora found seats on opposite sides of the table. He closed the door and joined them placing a deck of cards in the center.

"The room is sound proof. Feel free to scan for any listening devices. We're free to speak here Jedi. Now, before we start let me see that datapad again."

Lenora placed it on the table. Morgon pulled one of his own out and transferred the credits over to it.

"Of course, there's not much here. I hope you're not looking for too serious of a game."

"Not much?" Lenora protested.

"I understand you know the whereabouts of a certain Sith warrior looking to switch sides," Duros said.

"I've heard something to that effect."

"You've just heard? For ten thousand credits you're going to tell me a rumor?" Lenora barked.

Morgon shot her a dismissive glance and then focused back on Duros.

"I think someone, maybe on Belmond, right here in this very system knows what you're looking for. I heard of a Sith that was part of several battles on this planet, a fine pazaak player let me tell you, that was less than convinced he was on the right side. Rumor has it he stole a ship without a hyperdrive and so could only make it to a planet in-system. I'm sure he would wait near that ship and hope someone might come along looking for it."

"And how would someone find that ship?"

Morgon picked up his datapad and shook his head staring at the number on the screen. "I'm not sure there's enough money in here."

"That's all there is," Duros said curtly, "We're not holding out on you so spill it."

"Fine, fine. There's only one continent in the northern hemisphere on Belmond. The town there is called Dimmi. You can't miss it. Go there and pick up a speeder. Tell the renter you're looking for me. He'll give you a transponder frequency that you can follow to the missing shuttle."

"Good. Now, we only have one more question," Lenora said as Duros pulled a small disk from his belt.

"Look, that's all you get. I have to feed my family. This is not a char…"

Duros' disk popped open and projected a twelve inch hologram of Anise captured by the security cams on Cimri. Morgon's eyes froze on the image for a moment then looking away he finished his sentence.

"…charity."

The room was silent for another moment.

"Well," Lenora interrupted the silence.

"Well what? I need more credits Jedi."

"Who is she?" she demanded loudly.

Morgon laughed out loud and said looking to Duros, "Put a leash on your Padawan, Jedi."

"I'm not a damn Padawan!" Lenora said, slamming one hand onto the table knocking over the pazaak deck.

Duros motioned to Lenora to calm down. She looked away from the Chiss and started to get up from the table.

"Look, if you don't know we'll ask someone else," said Duros. "I think I know someone on Nar Shaddaa we could talk to."

He got up to leave. Morgon put his hand on Lenora's.

"Let's not be so hasty," he said, his tone soothing once again.

"I already said there's no extra money," Duros reminded him.

"Yes, but you have other things of value."

"Such as," he asked sitting back down. Lenora shook Morgon's hand off and dropped back into her chair as well.

"Knowledge. I'll tell you what she is," Morgon pointed to the hologram, "and all you have to do is tell me where the bodies are?"

"Who said she killed anyone?" Lenora asked.

Morgon tilted his head over pointing it at Lenora with a smug expression.

"Deal or no deal?"

Lenora looked at Duros, so did Morgon. He nodded in agreement and opened the hologram disk again.

"That," he began, taking the hologram from Duros, "is an Evanni. Cute one too."

"Aghh. You have a thing for little girls," Lenora accused through a curled lip.

"That's as big as they get, cupcake, she's all grown up. Certainly older than you. They're from a small planet in a system not far from Drumond Kaas. They're a Force sensitive species, but that's an understatement. They are born, eat, sleep, breathe, do everything with the Force from birth. They never developed any technology to speak of. I guess there's no need to build a crane when you could just lift things with your mind."

"Have you been there?" Lenora asked. The Chiss grunted and his countenance changed as his mind retraced a painful memory.

"Yeah. I've been there. The most terrifying experience of my life. That's coming from someone who's stood in front of the Dark Council. The gravity on Evann is four, maybe five times the common gravitational unit. I can't explain what that feels like."

Morgon's eyes measured Lenora moving up and down her body. Her anger started to rise again.

"How much do you weigh, 125, 130 lbs?" he asked her.

"150," she snapped at him, hoping for his sake this was going to be relevant.

"No way."

Lenora nodded her head. "I'm very dense."

"Well, as strong as you think you are, try to imagine landing a shuttle on the surface of Evann. The moment that hatch is opened, the instant that gravitation field is broken, you weigh seven hundred pounds. How long do you think you could stand? A minute? Two? I couldn't get off the ground myself. Better not stand too long anyway. Your feet swell up like balloons as all the blood leaves your head and you lose consciousness. Laying flat on the floor doesn't help that much. Just moving a finger is exhausting. The air is so thick it feels like your lungs can't get any oxygen out of it, even if you could get your ribcage to expand enough to get any air in them. Your heart hurts when it beats. And it never ends. You can't escape. It's everywhere. An invisible force that can't be stopped, killing you slowly."

"You seem to have survived," Duros tried to reassure the Chiss whose emotions were clearly affecting his mood. The Chiss shook the memory off.

"Yeah. The ramp closed as soon as the Sith got off the shuttle and the gravitation field was back. We sat in there and waited. And watched. These little Evanni were just walking around, skipping, running, without a care in the world. We were terrified, knowing the Sith would be boarding again. We'd have to open that door again.

"On their own planet, the Evanni are fast. And incredibly strong. On a 1G planet, like this one, they're unstoppable. They can toss a boulder the size of a speeder like it was a pebble and move like lightning. In other words, she can kill you with the Force or her bare hands with about the same effort."

The Chiss' smooth smile returned to his face. Lenora and Duros looked at each other waiting to see who would speak first.

"So why doesn't the Sith fill their army with these super warriors then?" Lenora asked.

"Simple, _Jedi_. They can't leave their planet. The whole species makes up this super mind, or collective consciousness. It's not even clear that they have whole individual personalities. For whatever reason every so often one of them does something the super-mind doesn't like. They used to just kill them. Now they just banish it from Evann. They usually die leaving the planet anyway, so it's the same thing as far as they're concerned.

"Some of the more powerful Sith Lords like to visit Evann. Stay on the surface for a few days, says it helps them 'understand the Force' better, or whatever. Once every century or so, one of them comes home with one."

"So they sometimes survive leaving the planet?"

"Very rare, but it happens. What you're left with is a little bundle of unstoppable Force energy with three quarters of her mind ripped out of her head. Not exactly rational. So yes, occasionally one gets off planet, survives for a couple of days while they go on a killing spree before they either commit suicide, become catatonic, or _a lot_ of Sith get together to put her down. Those are the only possible endings."

Morgon shut off the hologram and handed the disk back to Duros.

"Somewhere there's a Sith Lord flying around the galaxy with a time-bomb. He means to point it somewhere. There's value knowing where 'there' is, even just so I can be sure not be there myself. So now you tell me, Jedi. Where are the bodies?"

"On Cimri," Duros answered.

"Cimri? Where the hell is that?"

"Planet's name is Ceeriun."

"Oh. I think I've heard of it. Who cares about a hole like that?"

"That's where the bodies are," he shrugged.

"Well, there must have been a Sith Lord. What was his name?"

"You only get one question," Lenora quickly answered to interrupt Duros and stood up from the table. Duros stood up as well and didn't answer.

"Very good, Jedi. Knowledge is power and all that. How many of these credits would it take to get that name?"

"Bribing a Jedi? Are you serious?" Lenora laughed.

"Worth a shot, right?"

A communicator on Morgon's wrist beeped at him. He looked at it quickly and continued, "I doubt you have any more that would be useful to me, so I suppose your pazaak game is finished."

The two Jedi left the room and headed back to their ship. The Chiss closed the door tightly behind them and answered the call.

"Morgon, Lord Talus' ship is presently orbiting Balmorra. He expects to see you in his chambers in thirty minutes."

"I will leave at once," he answered. He clicked the communicator off, took a moment to straighten his jacket and thought to himself, '_what a coincidence_.'

#

The trip to Talus' ship was short. Morgon kept his own starship nearby on Balmorra's surface, always ready for a quick getaway. It was a simple task to locate his destination among the orbiting fleet. It was a routine sequence to get authorization to dock and clear security.

Morgon clicked the pad outside Talus' command room. Red tinted light spilled into the hallway as the entrance opened. Talus sat in an over-sized chair mounted on a dais more than halfway into the room. It was a long walk knowing Talus' eyes were fixed on him, watching his every move. The presence of the dark side and the imposing physical stature of Talus was more than enough to unnerve anyone. Morgon calmly took a position close enough to speak comfortably.

"Lord Talus," Morgon announced, "you wished to see me. Oh yeah," he said as he bowed mockingly before him.

"I see you still over estimate your worth to the Empire," Talus responded.

"Overestimating your worth gets one killed pretty fast in Imperial Intelligence. I'm afraid it's the Sith Lords that are most frequently guilty of such offenses, present company excluded of course."

"I understand you've added selling secrets to the Republic to your list of crimes, Morgon."

"How do these ugly rumors get started?"

"Spare me the charade. All I need to know is where the Sith traitor is."

"Oh, is that all? You know you could have just called me and saved me the trip. All you have to do is go to a city called Dimmi on Belmond, when you get there you rent a speeder and tell the guy at the shop…"

"Don't you dare treat me like one of your _customers_. You will tell me precisely his location."

"Look, I just give you the information I have. That's the best I can do."

"Such arrogance for someone so weak."

"You can't please everyone, you know."

Talus' eyes tried to penetrate Morgon's thoughts but he was trained to resist the Force's power over the mind. Talus had no doubt given enough time and concentration he would succeed but there were easier ways to get the information he wanted.

"Darth Vuull also overestimates your worth. He seems to think you are useful. I'd just as soon see you dead, myself."

"Well good thing your betters are in charge, Lord Talus," Morgon offered another mock bow with the smile of someone satisfied by his own cleverness.

Then he felt an invisible power surround his body. With barely more than a gesture Talus seized Morgon with the Force and propelled his body forward through the air, slamming him hard into the front of the arm of his throne. The impact stunned him and he fell at Talus' feet in a heap on top of the dais.

Talus reached down and grabbed him by the throat. His big hand wrapped completely around Morgon's neck. He stood up and pulled Morgon up off the ground. He pulled Morgon up close so the two men were eye to eye, though Morgon's feet were more than two feet off the dais.

"My instructions," Talus snarled, "were to retrieve this information and leave you alive. There is a broad spectrum of conditions I could leave you in that will allow me to fulfill my obligations. If I don't hear exactly what I want I will show you one of them. Am I clear?"

Morgon gasped for breath while nodding his head. He held Talus' forearm with both of his hands trying to take some of the weight off of his neck. Talus abruptly extended his arm throwing Morgon away from him. He fell backwards expecting to fall the two feet to the surface, forgetting to add the additional height of the dais. He landed on his back side bruising his tail bone. He took a second to let the worst of the pain subside and then worked his way into a standing but hunched over posture massaging his neck.

"I can give you the transponder code. And there's more than one Sith. At least two," Morgon offered, fear finally finding its way into his voice.

"Good. You should start rethinking your alliances and who you have chosen to make your enemy. Darth Vull won't be around forever."

"I have more benefactors than Darth Vull," Morgon tried to warn Talus. "But what difference does that make? He has nothing to fear from you. Even if some accident was to befall him, there are many in line for his title ahead of you."

"Don't be so sure. My power grows by the day. My rank will grow with it. When it does, maybe I'll have forgotten about a worm like you, if you were so fortunate. If not, I may remember your insolence and have a proper sentence executed."

"Is that all you need from me, Lord Talus?"

"Who else have you given this information to?"

"No one. You're the first to come ask for it."

"See to it no one else hears about this. You may go."

Morgon bowed slightly more politely and walked gingerly away from Talus. Once out of his presence he muttered to himself, '_I hope the Jedi meet you there and kill you_.'


	9. Belmond

**CHAPTER NINE**

**Belmond**

The speeder raced along a broken worn out concrete road. Lenora sat behind the controls checking her bearing against the tracker that showed the source of a shuttle's transponder code. Duros sat silently in the passenger seat glancing occasionally as well.

The sun had dropped below the endless tree line casting long shadows across the landscape. There was almost no sign of civilization along the way. They passed one or two shacks and the road they followed went long stretches with only the barest indication of a path.

The beeping tracker changed tone as they came around a bend that revealed the husk of a small abandoned town partially reclaimed by the forest. Lenora slowed the speeder and turned, flying around the circumference toward a large warehouse on the edge of town. The tracker indicated the source was inside.

Lenora stopped the speeder, stepped out and looked back at the road and forest. Away from the hum of the speeder she could hear the cacophony of nature, birds calling, insects buzzing, rustling leaves. Unknown animals barked and chirped, twigs snapped under the feet of fleeing creatures. She took a deep breath and sighed.

"I miss Coruscant," she said out loud.

"The dark side is strong here," Duros cautioned.

Lenora turned to face him but he was focused on the warehouse.

"I don't see a way in for a shuttle, unless the roof opens," she observed.

"Be ready for anything," he warned. He held his saber hilt in his hand and stepped closer to an entrance. Lenora stepped behind following his footsteps exactly. She held her hilt in hand as well only now feeling the presence of the dark side.

The door offered no resistance as Duros pushed it aside and stepped in. The warehouse appeared as one large continuous room. Piles of old construction material and machine parts were stacked throughout but deliberately placed to keep a clear path around the perimeter and the center open. The air was stale but there were signs of recent activity. And a presence.

They moved cautiously along and started walking their way around the perimeter. Lenora shook her head.

"Something is not right," she said. "Something is familiar."

"Hello?" Duros called out. "I know you're here. We just want to talk."

Something moved behind them. They spun around to face the source of the dark presence they felt. The shadow started to take the shape of a man approaching. Lenora finally recognized the presence just as a red streak of light flashed passed her and crashed to a stop on the edge of Duros' blue saber in a hale of sparks and a menacing crackle.

Lord Talus rained a series of blows driving Duros backwards into the center of the warehouse. Lenora stood watching.

Finally she ignited her saber staff and charged at Talus joining the fray. He blocked her attack but the distraction allowed Duros to finally shift to offense with several strikes of his own. Talus moved between the two Jedi flawlessly blocking each attack. He locked sabers with Lenora forcing her saber up and using it to block Duros'. He lowered his body and then thrust a shoulder into Duros knocking him back a step. Then he took a big telegraphed swing at Lenora. She had plenty of time to move in position for a block but did not detect the Force attack behind the saber.

Talus' blade fell harmlessly on Lenora's. The Force attack blasted her off her feet and backwards through the air across the room.

Duros slammed a hard strike at Talus, their sabers again showering the floor with sparks. Lenora got her bearings mid-air and arched her back sharply, reaching for the floor with her left hand and snapping her legs over landing solidly on her feet and charged back at Talus.

The blades between the warriors swung furiously, each contact cracked and sparked. They worked their way to the center of the room where each thought the open space would give them an advantage. Lenora could barely see the lightsabers moving. They looked like they were fighting with blue and red arcs of light.

She ran into striking distance and made another stabbing thrust at Talus' back. He stepped sideways so quickly she thought he disappeared. Her attack came to a stop on Duros' blade as he stopped her blade that had nearly pierced his skull.

Talus blasted Duros with a Force Lightning attack timed to hit him at the exact same time that Lenora's lightsaber would. He had to choose only one to defend. Duros grunted as the energy attack forced him to the ground.

Lenora and Talus held sabers high and circled each other. She tried to position Talus so his back was to Duros, which he made no attempt to stop.

She stared up into his eyes, his gaze was so severe it weakened the grip on her saber. Her spirit began to melt away, drowned in the dark side. Her knees started to buckle just from his presence. She needed to go on the offensive before she lost all power.

She started an attack, barely managing to flex a muscle before Talus sent a kick with all his strength and augmented with the Force into her lower abdomen.

The impact lifted her entire lower body up and backwards so that she hung horizontally in the air, face down. Her body went numb, her mind terrified by the lack of pain after being hit with more force than she had ever felt before. She let go of her lightsaber as her arms stretched for the floor to catch her fall.

Duros only took a second to shake off the effect of the Force Lighting attack and scrambled to his feet to see Lenora mid-air.

Talus caught her firmly by the pony tail on the back of her head allowing her body to fall into a kneeling position. The shockwave from the kick still reverberated through her body. Talus held her head back as she tried to bend forward. The shockwave worked its way up her torso, her body contorting on the end of his arm as a torrent of vomit invaded her nose and bubbled from her mouth and nostrils, running down both sides of her face. Talus loosened his grip for a second wretch that ran down the front her body at the same time she gagged and heaved trying to get air back into her body.

Duros froze in his tracks. Talus stood behind Lenora with his saber at the side of her neck. Duros looked pleadingly at Lenora, still gagging. His stomach sank.

"My. She's not your Padawan, after all," Talus mocked.

Duros eyes snapped back to his but he had no move to make. He knew Lenora would be killed the instant he attacked.

"I'll have that lightsaber," Talus said to Duros.

"Don't," Lenora snapped. "I'm already dead," she said while spitting, trying to clear her mouth.

Talus let go of Lenora's hair and used the now free hand to pull Duros' saber out of his. Duros did not resist, allowing it to fly away from him. Lenora closed her eyes and bowed her head when she saw the hilt fly over.

She opened them a moment later and saw Anise sitting nearby picking through a pile of droid parts as if she was there the whole time.

"You both died the moment you walked through that door," Talus said, his anger subsiding. "The only question is how quickly or painfully."

Duros too had become aware of Anise's presence only feet away.

"Why not just kill us then when we entered?" Duros asked, passing his glace between Anise and the Sith Lord.

"Curiosity. The Jedi Master Sar'on. I just wanted a taste. Very impressive by the way, but alas the legend proves exaggerated once again. But impressive none the less."

"Then let's finish it. Let her leave. I'll stay and fight. Let's see how it ends."

Talus laughed. "I'm not here for you, Jedi, but I can't let you leave either. And I don't know how many I may need to fight. Cowards and traitors usually travel in packs. I'd hate to fail my mission because they escape while I kill you."

"I'm sure that's it," Duros said sarcastically.

He could see the words work their way through Talus' mind. They both knew he wanted the challenge. Duros was prepared to sacrifice himself if it could save Lenora. She remained silent and hoped it would work.

"Anise…," Talus called out to her, never taking his eyes from Duros. "How many Force users are outside this building?"

"Four," she answered continuing to pick through the junk.

"Four is quite a few," said Talus. "Sorry Master Sar'on, but we'll have to go to our graves not knowing. You first of course."

Dark power began to rise again in Talus. Lenora could feel his power grow. He raised his left hand shoulder high and sparks began to fill his palm as he charged a fatal blast.

Duros also began to draw upon the Force preparing to defend against the attack. His eyes moved between Lenora's and her saber that lay on the floor only a few feet in front of her and back to Lenora. He said sorry with his eyes then looked away from her. His emotions in check he prepared to continue the fight without her.

She closed her eyes again knowing she would not survive first contact.

"There were two before," Anise nonchalantly added.

The charge of energy in Talus' hand dissipated without an attack. The sudden drop stopped Duros as well.

"When," he demanded. Anise took too long to answer.

"Anise!" he shouted, "When?"

"There were two until the Jedi showed up. They left. Now there's four."

Talus pulled a commlink from his waist and called to his ship. Only static answered. He tried a few more times before shouting and cursing into the device. He slammed it into the floor and ground it into the dust with his heel. He grabbed Lenora by the hair again and pulled her back bringing his saber closer to her face and paused.

Duros extended his hand out to him in a gesture asking for his lightsaber back. Talus let a deep breath escape from his nostrils then tossed Duros' saber back to him and stepped away from Lenora.

She watched him walk away from her over her shoulder and then, staying on her knees, inched out on her hands to reach her saber unsure if Talus would let her reach it. She wrapped her fingers around one side of the hilt and let the other end carve a path in the dust as she moved back to an upright position.

"I don't understand," she said to Duros.

"There is no Sith trying to switch sides," he answered.

"I don't understand," was all she could think to say again.

This time Talus answered.

"There's no traitor. This was a ruse to get me here to be assassinated. They're only waiting to see if we kill each other first. Then they'll kill whoever is left."

"Well if they just want you," she said standing up, "we can leave."

Talus let a short disgusted laugh escape his throat.

"They won't let us leave," Duros said.

A small explosion from outside told them their speeder was gone. Escape was no longer an option.


	10. Battle On Blemond

**CHAPTER TEN**

**Battle On Belmond**

Four Sith seemed to materialize inside the room from each corner except for the one Marauder who entered through the door Duros and Lenora used. He already had two lightsabers drawn as he walked deliberately toward Duros.

A cloaked female Sith pure blood stepped closer to Talus. The two glared at each other as they closed the distance with the contempt in their eyes that could only be born of familiarity.

Two additional Sith warriors worked their way toward the center of the room. One moved to close the distance with Lenora. Duros moved to get closer to her but the Marauder attacked, cutting him off and driving him away. His two sabers slicing constantly through the air, Duros matching each attack. It took all of his focus to keep up the pace. He had to not think of Lenora at all if he was to survive.

Lenora tried to swallow her fear but only got a reminder of the foul taste in her mouth. She backed up away from the warrior but he was closing the gap quickly. She glanced around the room measuring distance and tracking enemies and allies. Duros and his attacker were getting further and further away engaged in battle, Talus and the Sith pureblood snarled at each other, Anise shoved a pile of scrap metal over to get at something on the bottom. The ground shook under foot from the impact.

She lit only one side of her weapon and held it in front of her as a conventional lightsaber. She remembered Duros' words, that she could be faster with only one side and less predictable. It had been years since she practiced with a single blade and even she wouldn't know exactly what she would do in this stance. She was focused on defense. She would let the warrior strike, use her speed to defend and hold him off as long as possible. Hopefully, Duros would defeat his opponent quickly and be able to help her before it was too late. That plan started to come apart when she saw the second warrior flanking her left.

Until that moment she assumed the double team would go to Talus, or maybe Duros. She stared back and forth between the two closing Sith. She heard the word _why_ said out loud and recognized her own voice. The two laughed at her.

They lit up their sabers and the first attacked her alone.

Talus and the Sith pure blood closed within speaking distance, the sound of lightsabers smashing together a constant backdrop.

"You insult me by trying to face me alone," Talus spit at her.

"I need no assistance destroying you. And I will take your place at Vuull's side."

She sent streams of dark Force energy at Talus. He caught the arcs of light in his palm, dissipating the attack and pulling more energy from her, a power he learned after being victimized by it from Anise. He pulled all the strength in the Force from her body. Her eyes opened wide as she felt her power drain. She tried to break the grip Talus had on her unsuccessfully, finally charging at him saber in hand while she still had the strength to do so.

Talus parried a couple of strikes before severing her right arm nearly at the shoulder. He grabbed her by the throat with his other hand. Her remaining arm flailed and clawed at him but holding her out at arm's length she couldn't reach his face or body. He squeezed her windpipe shut and stared down into her eyes. He let her punch the air and kick helplessly at his thighs but his grip never weakened. She stopped fighting against him and tried to reach out to her allies through the Force. They did not respond. She died in his grip, staring up into his eyes.

Talus tossed her body aside like a bag of garbage. His attention now was focused on Lenora, though still sensing and following Duros' fight.

The first warrior attacked Lenora with a series of blows using his lightsaber. She defended each attack but with each block his saber got closer to her. Panic crept up on her as she realized she couldn't keep up. She defended an attack by such a small margin she could feel the material of her clothes heat up. The next attack came and she felt no chance to get in front of it. She closed her eyes and braced for the worst but the killing blow never came.

She opened her eyes again just as the second warrior attacked from her left. She defended herself but the series went exactly as the first as she braced for a killing blow that never came. The first warrior repeated again.

She braced again for the non-existent killing blow. She could sense the two warriors feeding off her emotion. She tried a counter attack but only managed to wave her saber weakly in the air. The second moved to take a position behind her. She didn't follow him with her eyes but could feel his presence in the Force. He was especially in tune with her emotions but the link worked both ways and she could follow his movements as if the Force was her hand touching him.

"Finish it," she screamed at the first warrior as she slashed at him again. He stepped back. She threw another weak attack at him that he blocked, laughing at her feeble attempt.

She let her emotions go. They were feeding off her emotion, she reasoned, then she would drown them in it.

She let her fear well up until the tears were streaming down her face. She remembered the feeling of helplessness she felt watching her Master get cut down trying to defend her. The same helplessness she felt just minutes earlier, on her knees before Talus, nearly killing Duros the same way. The same feeling now facing two Sith warriors, each greater than she was.

She added her hatred for the Sith to her emotions, the ones who murdered everyone at the temple where most of her peers and friends died. Hatred for the Sith now that were toying with her.

"Kill me!" she screamed at the first, letting all the fear and hatred turn to rage.

She slashed again at him, purposely weaker than she could do. She wanted him to block. She directed all her conspicuous actions at him while she was really focused on the Sith behind her. She tracked the second warrior through the Force. She felt him closing in behind her.

She let her tears flow as she sobbed loudly, exaggerated. Throwing what looked like a last effort she attacked holding her saber in two hands, striking straight down, letting her weapon come to a rest on top of the warrior's saber held parallel to the floor. Her saber rested on his, crackling and spitting. She left it there and continued to cry, letting all the emotion pour out of her.

The second warrior took a position only a few feet behind her. She felt him, knew exactly where he was and what he was doing. He started to draw his saber back to attack her from behind. His toying was done. He was moving in for the kill.

Lenora jerked her saber straight back off of the warriors blade. She had to tilt her head out of the way to avoid the hilt hitting her in the face. As the hilt passed her head she ignited the second blade. The blue beam shot out of the hilt just missing her, burning through the strands of hair pulled out of the ponytail, and reached its full length passing completely through the Sith warrior's head who was standing behind her.

She yanked her now full saber staff out of her foe's body. She and her other opponent watched the warrior fall to the ground.

Her tears stopped. The fear was gone. All that remained was her hate and anger. Lenora's double bladed saber cut through the air as she rained a barrage of attacks, spinning, kicking, and slashing. The warrior countered each strike confidently, managing to turn the tables quickly to become the aggressor forcing Lenora to defend again. Even with her renewed energy she could not help falling behind his attacks. So focused on his saber attacks she didn't realize that he let go of his saber with one hand. When she blocked his last attack his free hand slammed a fist into the middle of her face.

She heard her nose break. The crack echoed in her head as the room went black. Stunned, she tried to inhale through her nose. The taste of blood drowned out the vomit as it spilled down into her throat and flowed out of her nose in a steady stream. She staggered backwards but managed to stay on her feet. She was momentarily disoriented and not sure if she had turned away from the Sith or if he was still in front of her. His bellowing laughter helped her to locate him.

She tried to open her eyes but her vision was blurred. She had to keep them closed and sense her opponent. His laughter was subsiding and she wasn't sure she could defend another barrage. She felt his location and surging with renewed hatred for the mocking laughter unleashed a blistering assault. The abrupt stop to his laugh meant the attack had taken him by surprise. He defended well but Lenora was unrelenting. She knew the instant she paused he would kill her, so she did not.

She attacked with every movement she knew. The warrior seemed to be fast enough to keep up with the moves but she was so flexible and using the full saber he was continually surprised by the angles she attacked from. Keeping track of the two sides of the constantly moving staff was taking all of his attention. Lenora could feel his exclusive focus on the staff and took the distraction to step on his foot while driving him back with a large overhand swing. The subtle move kept his foot from moving fully under him when he pulled it free and the impact of the strike knocked him off balance.

Lenora followed with a strike from an impossible angle. He got his saber in front of it but could not fully stop it. The impact forced his own saber against his chest. She could feel him recoil from the pain. She sensed fear suddenly appear in him. It fueled her assault.

She attacked faster still driving the Sith backwards, off balance. Each swing she felt his fear grow. Each step back he took, her hatred for him grew. He fell further and further behind her attacks until he finally could not raise his arm and her blade sliced through his neck. She felt his body start to fall onto his back. She swung out slicing off his now exposed arm. She jumped up on top of his chest driving his body down with her own weight and drove her saber straight down through his heart and into the ground.

Lenora opened her eyes. They had cleared enough for her to see the partially dismembered Sith she was sitting on top of. She caught the blood streaming from her nose in her hand then pressed her face into the bend in her elbow. Her chest heaved trying to catch her breath. She heard the sound of clashing lightsabers behind her.

She looked up to find Duros but her eyes happened on Talus first. He stood only a few paces from her smiling, his own opponent long since vanquished. Lenora's eyes stabbed at him. She slowly stood up and pulled her lightsaber from the ground. She held it in an aggressive stance and started towards him.

"Anger is a powerful ally in battle," Talus said to her, "but not so useful deciding when, or whom, to fight."

Lenora exhaled hard from her mouth blowing droplets of blood on the ground. A particularly loud saber clash turned her head.

"Duros," she exclaimed and started to move towards him.

"Are you sure you'll be a help to him?" Talus asked her. She stopped. "You weren't exactly a help to him against me."

She watched Duros battle the Marauder and knew that he was right. She had never seen anyone wield two sabers as fluidly as he did. Even watching it she could not believe Duros was still fighting, looking as slow as he did in comparison.

"Help him!" she demanded.

"There's no need," he answered.

Lenora looked back to Duros again. She wanted to help but was afraid to interfere and distract him again. She stared back at Talus seething at his inaction.

Duros was clearly the slower fighter but in this minutes long battle he had memorized every strike in the Marauder's arsenal. The Sith was not accustomed to fighting for this long. Most opponents die quickly. But Duros Sar'on was not most opponents. A veteran of many battles this was far from the first time he faced a Sith wielding two sabers.

He not only memorized the attacks the Marauder used, he could force which attack the marauder would use to in response to Duros' actions. Using Force Push at unpredictable intervals to keep the Marauder from fully using his speed it would appear to onlookers as a fast, aggressive attacker against a slow Jedi. In reality the Marauder was much more like a puppet moving and attacking exactly as Duros wanted. Waiting for the exact moment when he could catch him flat-footed or his weight on the wrong foot.

Finally the opportunity arrived. The Marauder moved ever so slightly off balance. Not many would notice but Duros did. He used a Force Push that the Marauder defended easily but it exaggerated his imbalance. Duros struck high sending his opponent into a series of moves he had seen half a dozen times in this battle already.

The Marauder stabbed at Duros with his right hand and quickly spun around to follow up with a backhanded strike with his left. But his feet were not planted correctly. He slipped on the dirty floor and could not spin as fast as he could normally. Duros stepped into the Sith midway through the move, catching his left arm with his free hand and driving his saber through the Sith's back.

Death was instant. Duros shoved his body away from him and turned immediately to help Lenora with her battle. Instead he saw her standing in front of Talus glaring up at him and both of her opponents lying dead on the floor. A well of emotions filled the room.

Talus and Lenora each had the sabers on and watched each other and were only sneaking glances at Duros as he approached, also on guard.

"Well, Jedi," Talus said still looking mostly at Lenora, "attack me or don't. I no longer have any reason to kill you."

Lenora waited to see what Duros would do. He thought for a moment, then extinguished his saber and put it away. Lenora huffed and did the same, as did Talus.

"Are you…"

"I'm fine," Lenora curtly interrupted Duros. She wiped more blood from her face with her sleeve and caught sight of Anise staring up at the ceiling and twirling around on one foot.

"Doesn't she fight?" she angrily asked Talus. He looked over and watched Anise spinning.

"When my life is in danger," he answered dryly.

"What the hell do you call that?" she huffed at him.

Talus shrugged, "_My_ life was never in danger."

Lenora turned away from him in disgust.

"I assume you have a ship, Jedi?"

Duros nodded.

"Good. A simple truce then. I need transport to Nar Shaddaa. In exchange I'll help you get back to your ship in one piece."

"What!?" Lenora objected.

"We can get ourselves off the planet," Duros said calmly. Talus just smiled.

"Without the speeder it's about two days' journey back to the dock. Plenty of time for the Sith to learn of their failure here and send a second team. They'll send more. Even now they are probably sending soldiers to seize the hanger. I don't like your chances."

"They're after you," Lenora snapped at him. "Besides, you think we're friends now, we're going to trust you? You didn't bother helping either of us."

"You don't have to trust me. My interests are aligned with yours. We all need to leave. I don't have ship. You'll never get back to yours alive."

Lenora turned and walked away from him again.

"I didn't help because I only needed one of you alive to tell me where the ship is and the launch codes. If either of you had fallen, I would have immediately helped the other."

Lenora's jaw dropped and she spun around to Duros.

"It's the way of the world, child," Talus continued. "I have my interests. You have yours."

"I don't like it either, Lenora," Duros answered her. "But we have a better chance against a second attack with the four of us then just two."

Lenora stomped off a few paces but had no where to go.

"But let me correct you, Lord Talus," Duros continued. "Your interest is having both of us alive. In exchange I'll drop you off on Nar Shaddaa. If something happens to Lenora we're finishing what we started."

"Agreed," Talus replied.

Lenora was annoyed about being the subject of and yet no part of the agreement. She deferred to Duros but made sure he knew she was not happy.

Talus gathered Anise away from her spinning and guided her outside. Duros extended an arm inviting Lenora to go. She blew some more blood from her face and walked out behind Talus, Duros followed closely behind her.

"Are you sure you're Ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine."


	11. Long Road Ahead

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**Long Road Ahead**

Duros sifted through the wreckage of their speeder to salvage what they could. The four jogged at a good clip along the road back to town where Duros' Defender was docked. They only managed to travel for about an hour before it was too dark to see and they decided to make camp several yards into the woods away from the road.

No one spoke beyond what was necessary to keep everyone going in the same direction. Talus stayed in front the whole time never looking back at Lenora who stayed several paces behind him. Duros alternated between staying next to or behind Lenora. Anise was everywhere. At first she stayed next to Talus, then she would run off into the woods or stop randomly to look at things along the road. She would disappear for a while then show up walking next to someone like she was there the whole time. It took a while for her to finally show up in camp after they stopped for the night.

While Lenora and Duros gathered wood for a fire, Talus used his lightsaber to cut down the thickest tree he could find. He cut out a section of the trunk longer than his body, ran his saber down one side to flatten it out, laid it down and cut out the other side into a contoured bed. He positioned it near the fire and lay on it.

Lenora copied him cutting a section of the same tree and hollowed it out into a bed. She positioned it perpendicular to Talus', her feet near his head.

Duros opened up the bedroll he was going to offer Lenora but used it himself since she didn't seem to need it. He laid it out across from Lenora.

Talus lay in his bed on his back, his feet crossed, arms folded behind his head. Duros pulled ready-to-eat meals from the salvage and threw one to Lenora who was sitting upright on her bed facing the fire. She caught it and rested it next to her. He offered one to Talus but he refused.

Lenora unhooked the clasps of her upper body armor and pulled it off over her head. Without the armor she had on only a bodysuit stretched tightly across her chest. The rustling caught Talus' attention and he leaned outside of his bed and stretched his neck out to see what the commotion was about. He took in an eyeful then rested back in his bed. He noticed Duros glaring at him and just smiled as he put his arms behind his head again.

Lenora poured some water from her canteen onto a rag pulled from the wreckage and wiped the dried blood and vomit from her face and neck. She started to scrub her armor but realized it was a lost cause without a lot of soap. She rested the armor on one knee then carefully felt her nose. It was numb and felt foreign like she was touching someone else's. She ran a finger up one side and felt a jagged lump protruding. She tried gently pressing it back in place. The pain stopped her and she began bleeding again.

"Damn it!" she said and she pushed her armor off her lap and leaned forward, letting the blood drip onto the floor.

"You should let me heal that for you," Duros suggested.

"I'm fine. It will stop," she said curtly.

"Lenora…" he started but her sharp look told him not to bother.

"There is no shame in seeking healing," Talus interjected. "You would do your enemy a disservice if you allowed him to defeat you while less than whole."

"No one asked you," she barked. "Besides, I'll take lessons on honor from a Sith right after the Hutts get done teaching me about hygiene."

Talus chuckled under his breath.

She put the rag over her nose and accidentally squeezed the broken cartilage. She inhaled sharply and the bleeding worsened. Duros stood up and moved towards her.

"Come on," he said.

"Fine," she grumbled letting out a long exhale.

She sat upright and Duros squatted in front of her. He placed his hand on top of her head.

"I'm going to have to pull it straight first, unless you want to let it heal in that position."

She nodded. She cleared her mind, meditating on peace. Duros grabbed her nose firmly and yanked it down and pushed it up and back into place. She squeezed her eyes shut holding in her pain, desperately trying not to cry out. Duros entered a healing trance again, pressing the power over Lenora's body and after several seconds the pain was gone. The nose was healed. Lenora opened her eyes and rubbed her nose. There was no numbness, no jagged edge. It was like it never happened. Duros returned to his bedroll.

"Of course, it will take a couple of days before those two black eyes go away," he added while sitting down.

Anise appeared out of the woods and sat on the foot of Lenora's bed opposite from the fire. She didn't say anything. She just sat there. Lenora watched her for a while.

"Have you ever learned the teachings of Darth Traya?" Talus interrupted the silence. His voice was loud and he spoke with an attitude of certainty, convinced of his own importance. The Imperial accent, which Lenora thought sounded smug and obnoxious in a lesser voice, seemed tailor-made for his. Even when attempting to sound casual there was no invitation to participate, just a tone that implied punishment for ignoring it.

No one answered his query. He continued as if someone had.

"She was a Jedi once, in a previous, lesser, life. That's why I ask. She taught the Force was not some impersonal power, but a malignant creature, it has its own will. Any act we would perform not according to its will, it would produce its opposite to cancel it out. So that in the end, whether we do good or evil, it is done by its desire. We don't use the Force, the Force uses us. All of us.

"She wanted to destroy it as it had destroyed her as both the Jedi and the fraudulent Sith betrayed her."

"Destroy the Force? That's crazy," Lenora answered.

"Now, Jedi like to use the term 'the will of the Force.' In reality they do as they please and claim it is the Force's will that they do such things. That's not what she means when she says it has its own will. It's that we don't know it, can't really know it."

"Meaningless," Lenora said, dismissing his words.

"When I first saw the two of you on Cimri and I decided not to kill you there, I thought I was merely being practical, or magnanimous even. I never thought of you again. Imagine my surprise only a day later when the same two Jedi walked into my path again.

"I thought surely it is the will of the Force that I destroy them that now these two times they are thrown into my hands. Of course I have no doubt it is the will of the Force that all Jedi be destroyed, but this was very specific. I wondered what reason the Force had that I in particular should be the one to kill these two.

"But Anise, the most attuned to the Force, stopped me again. And here we are cooperating to get off this wretched planet. So tell me Jedi, did the Force stay my hand on Cimri? Were we required to meet there to set up our meeting here? Or was it mere coincidence? To what end has the Force brought us together?"

"We will not indulge your musings," Duros informed him. "It is what it is."

"Yes, you certainly would not like to make inquiry into anything that may expand your view of the universe. The Sith teach the Force is merely a power for us to use to our own ends. We are free to explore all of its intricacies without fear. But these coincidences, perhaps it has a plan for us. That destiny has put us together. That no matter what we do our paths will continue to cross because that is what the Force wills. Until we complete what it is we are to do."

The conversation ended without any further prompts from Duros. Talus' words hung in the air. Lenora shook her head and pulled her armor back over her shoulders and pulled it straight. It was cleaner but it would take a full complement of cleaning supplies to be clean. She picked a few flakes out of the crevices moving her glance between Anise and her armor. Finally she burst out.

"Why is your creature sitting next to me?"

Talus lifted his head stretching over to see Lenora, and leaning a little further he caught a glimpse of Anise at the end of her makeshift bed.

"You bare a vague resemblance to a slave girl I gave to her. I suppose she's comfortable."

"A slave? You people are disgusting, you know that?" she said with every bit of contempt she could muster in her voice.

"It is the way of the life. The weak serve the strong."

"Whatever. But she's not sleeping with me. Can't you call her over to you or something."

"I don't think she sleeps anyway." Talus stretched on his bed before continuing on, "And why is there so much venom in your voice?"

"WHY? You're evil, you almost killed me!"

"You tried to kill me too. Am I to be the evil one because I am more powerful than you?"

"Then you sit there and watch me fight. You would let me die since 'you only needed one of us alive.' Weren't we supposed to be on the same side at that point? You don't care about life. You don't care about anyone but yourself. And I can't believe we're actually going to help you," she shouted, looking directly at Duros for the last sentence.

"Conflict teaches us Jedi. You survived and are stronger now because of it. Had your Master been able to do so he would have stolen that lesson from you. I would never cheat anyone in such a way."

"Oh please. Like I should thank you for doing nothing."

"That stink of fear you've carried since I first laid eyes on you is gone, smashed from your body by that Sith's fist. By not saving you, I taught you more than your whole cadre of Jedi have in your lifetime. You should be grateful. You are threefold more powerful than you were only hours ago, although," he said stretching his neck out to look at her face lit up by the fire, "certainly not as pretty as you were then."

"Let's just get some sleep," Duros said trying to settle the issue.

"Tell me something," Talus continued unabated, "Who is guilty of greater evil? The conquerer who comes killing thousands to subdue an inferior species bringing peace in his wake, or the interlopers who come preaching goodness and justice, rallying the inhabitants with dreams of independence into open rebellion causing the deaths of millions in an unwinnable war?"

"That's a false choice," Duros took over for Lenora. "Peace is not the absence of war. If I have to live under your boot, then I am not at peace. If must accept inferior status then I am not free. If I choose to fight rather than submit then I am already free. If I must die for my freedom then I will die in peace and those who will come after me will continue in my place. And no battle is unwinnable when you fight for what is right."

Lenora grinned in agreement, even impressed with his answer. Talus chuckled.

"And the Jedi are to decide what is right? A religion of warrior monks lecturing the world on Justice, or else? Wasn't it the Jedi that decided genocide for the Sith was 'just' after defeating Naga Sadow, as your Peaceful soldiers went planet by planet trying to exterminate the entire Sith species."

"The Republic made that choice," Duros answered. Lenora looked confused at Duros, as if his answer confirmed the unbelievable accusation.

"The Jedi are the Republic. They make all the decisions. They wouldn't allow the Sith to survive because our knowledge of the Force is greater. Had we been allowed to join the Republic like all the other species you come across in the galaxy the Sith would have displaced the Jedi in a generation as the guardian of the Republic. The Jedi protect their position like everyone else. If a species is weaker than you, they can join and submit. If they are stronger than you, as the Sith are, then death becomes 'just.' Forgive me, but I will never leave my fate in the hands of a Jedi's sense of Justice."

"You're so certain of what happened a thousand years ago?"

"Our Emperor has ruled over us a thousand years. He was there. And he will have his revenge."

"So now he's murdered billions of people who had nothing to do with it and still failed to destroy the Jedi or the Republic."

"I once heard a Jedi say, 'no war is unwinnable when you fight for what is right.'"

"Look, this is pointless. We're not going to settle a dispute raging for thousands of years in a single night."

"Clearly. I'd have to spend half of it educating you about your own history first."

"Let's just give it a rest. We have a lot of ground to cover to get back to the ship and out of each others' lives."

"It can't come soon enough for me."

There was no further conversation that night.


	12. Escape

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**Escape**

The four broke camp at dawn and continued their journey toward the landing dock. They jogged at a faster pace than the day before. The only sign of the Empire was the occasional probe that flew overhead. There was no point in hiding their presence, it was obvious where they were heading. The whole party was in top condition and were able to keep up the pace for hours without rest. It was nearly nightfall again by the time they reached the outskirts of town.

Most of Belmond was covered in dense forests. The town was carved out of the trees so the forest came right up to the edge of town. They approached from a raised position in a wooded section overlooking the hangers. Duros pulled out a rescued pair of macrobinoculars and studied the hangers and its surrounding area about a half of a mile away.

"It's overrun by Imperial soldiers," he announced to the party handing the binoculars to Talus.

"They must have emptied the entire ship," Talus added trying unsuccessfully to use a quiet voice and passed them back to Duros.

The hanger with the Defender inside was surrounded with the densest concentration of troops with still more stationed on the retractable roof. A few blocks away an empty lot had been converted into a command center with several towers erected and manned with snipers. No citizens could be seen on the streets crowded with uniformed soldiers.

"So what now?" Lenora asked no one in particular.

"Well, we could wait for nightfall at least, try to move in the dark. Or we can wait for reinforcements. There's no way the Sith will be able to occupy this town without the Republic responding. We could survive in this wilderness for quite a few days without much effort."

"As much as I enjoy your company, Jedi, I will not live in the woods like some Wookie while the Republic sets up a committee to discuss ordering a commission to study the effects an occupied Belmond has on the treaty, and whether or not it requires a response."

Lenora chuckled but quickly stifled her reaction. Talus took the macrobinoculars back from Duros and looked through them again, focusing on the command center.

"Numbers like these are a sign of weakness, not strength. If I was waiting to kill you I'd be inside alone doing my best not to alert anyone to my presence. I might even send my soldiers to secure the wrong hanger just to make sure you came in.

"No, this is begging us not to come in. They have no Sith or at least no one powerful enough to stand before us."

Talus handed the binoculars back to Duros.

"Anise and I will attack the command center."

"Are you serious?" ask Lenora. Talus ignored her.

"The soldiers surrounding the hanger most likely have been ordered not to move under any circumstances so be prepared to carve your way through them. After we destroy the command post we'll work our way through town to the hanger. When the soldiers on the roof start firing at us, then you two sprint for the hanger. You should be able to get close with only ground fire. Get in the hanger and start the ship. I'll meet you inside. Don't even think of leaving without me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Duros answered.

"So we're going to attack an army?" Lenora asked rhetorically.

"Looks that way," Duros answered.

Talus stood up and took Anise by the hand.

"You two start making your way down to the edge of town. Try to stay out of sight until the killing starts."

Talus left the two Jedi making his way through the woods toward the command center. Duros put a hand on Lenora's shoulder.

"I'm sorry this has happened to you. It was too soon."

"I'm fine, don't worry," she answered.

"It's never easy to take another's life. Here we are about to kill many but I fear we have no choice. They are here to kill us."

Lenora tried her best to look serious and not puzzled by Duros' words.

"It's ok, Master. I am ready. I will not fail you."

"I know. You have been very brave. It seems we will need that same courage again."

Lenora pulled her saber from her hip and started working her way down to the edge of town with Duros. They took up positions facing each other behind some bushes. One wall of the hanger directly in their sights was surrounded by soldiers standing six deep.

"Once the soldiers start firing at our Sith Lord, we'll Force-Run for that wall. Stay directly behind me. We'll be a smaller target and I can deflect any blaster fire coming our way. Once we get there we'll have to fight our way through the crowd. Cut a hole through the wall while I cover your back. We have no idea how many soldiers will be inside so keep your defenses up. Keep yourself calm and the Force will tell you where the dangers are. Trust your training. Do not worry about me. You must focus on your own defense. I will be fine."

Lenora listened intently, her heart rate building with anticipation. Duros closed his eyes to meditate and center himself. Lenora thought to do the same when the unmistakable sound and sensation of dark side energy crackling in the air jolted her from concentration.

#

Anise had left Lord Talus' side and walked into the middle of the command center. Large numbers of troops walked around the camp, some in formation, others seemed to be milling about, but none reacted to or even noticed her.

Talus waited for her to be surrounded by the largest number of troops, then he silenced his Force Bond with Anise. She spun around to look at him through the crowd. The unexpected silence left her momentarily disoriented. Unable to keep the illusion up the soldiers all suddenly became aware of her presence. A ripple of panic spread out from her in all directions.

_'Kill them all' _were the last words he said to her before the silence. The nearest soldiers had managed to get their weapons ready to fire and train them on her.

Anise raised her arms out to both sides. Force energy emerged from her palms, dozens of individual white and purple arcs of light fired in all directions traveling only a short distance before turning sharply forming a perfect sphere around her. Her eyes closed and she levitated off the floor as more energy surged out of her body. The blaster fire ricocheted off the sphere or alternately disappeared on its surface.

She opened her eyes revealing glowing yellow disks. Another surge of energy from her body strengthened the sphere until lightning fired from its surface killing more than thirty soldiers in a single burst. Another two dozen further away were overcome by a second wave of power. The soldiers broke ranks and fled. Talus emerged from the woods and attacked those soldiers trying to escape in his direction.

He attacked with Force Lightning of his own. The arcs traveled out from both hands spreading out into a wide pattern. Those closest to him died instantly. Those further away fell in debilitating pain.

The sphere of energy vanished as Anise dropped back down to the ground. A sniper took another shot at her from the top of one of the towers. She took a few quick steps to get under it, then grabbed one of four posts anchored into the ground and pulled it out. Two adjacent legs broke free as well. The fourth just buckled in place as the whole tower came crashing to the ground. She ran toward the hanger where the bulk of the soldiers were retreating. Energy burst from her body in all directions. At times the energy was invisible except for the wave of soldiers launching through the air, other times it was visible light ravaging bodies of soldiers a dozen at a time.

Talus gripped another of the towers with the Force and pushed it over sending it crashing through several tents.

Lenora and Duros saw the soldiers on the hanger's roof start firing down toward the opposite wall at Anise.

"Go!" Lenora barked.

Duros took a second to steady his breath and sprinted for the hanger. Lenora stayed directly behind him. They covered the distance from the woods to the hanger faster than any soldier could raise a weapon to fire at them.

Duros flashed his lightsaber cutting down two soldiers and veering off to his left to take the shortest path to the wall. Lenora leaped over him, her double bladed saber cutting through soldiers four at a time. She landed on one hand and cartwheeled forward with another big swing that dropped four more before landing solidly on both feet.

The shock of the attack and its ferocity caused the soldiers to try to run but Lenora's angle of attack left several pinned between her, Duros, and the hanger wall. They tried to pull melee weapons to defend themselves but Lenora cut through them before they could attack. She turned to pursue another group of running soldiers but Duros called her to get inside the hanger.

She slammed her saber into the side wall and started cutting out an opening large enough for them to enter. Duros stood in front of her facing out. The soldiers that had gotten some distance away had turned to start firing at them from the distance. He deflected the bolts away buying Lenora time to get through.

She shoved the concrete slab she cut free into the hanger. Sensing soldiers inside she pushed Duros away and ducked under a barrage of blaster fire coming through the hole. As the fire slowed she dove headfirst through the opening and rolled behind cover. She ran a few steps, deliberately drawing fire away from the opening allowing Duros to leap through as well.

The two Jedi moved along opposite sides of the hanger toward a small group of soldiers. Lenora used her power to launch a large metal cannister she used as cover, smashing it into the group. Two were struck and killed by the impact. Duros threw his lightsaber guiding it to strike the remaining three. The rest of the hanger was empty. The small group they encountered were merely taking shelter away from the battle outside.

Duros ran into the Defender and straight to the cockpit. Lenora dashed to the hanger's control room, pausing to pick a blaster off the floor, and opened the roof. Duros started the Defender's engines and then left to quickly search the ship for any hidden soldiers or signs of sabotage.

Lenora walked briskly back to the Defender as the hanger's roof opened and pulled the blaster rifle up to her shoulder. As the soldiers on the roof came into her view she fired. Each trigger pull killed one Imperial soldier, the bodies falling into the hanger, some on the roof of the Defender. Once the roof was fully retracted and no live soldiers remained she walked up the loading ramp and waited for Talus and Anise.

Talus heard the roof of the hanger open and Defender's engines power on. There were no more troops standing their ground on his side of the hanger. Soldiers were taking shots from such a distance away there was not much chance to hit him. He summoned Anise back to him allowing the Force to flow across their bond. Anise turned and ran back into Talus' arms. He scooped her off the floor and sprinted for the hanger smashing the main door off its hinges with his shoulder rather than take the time to see if it was locked.

Lenora ran up onto the ship and into the cockpit dropping into the co-pilot's chair.

"They're on. Let's go."

Talus closed the Defender's ramp as he entered. The Defender launched vertically out of the hanger and streaked across the sky. Talus worked his way up to the cockpit and sat behind Duros. Anise stood in a corner staring at the screen and all the flashing lights.

"Can you scan ships in orbit?" Talus asked.

"Already scanning," Duros answered.

"There must be an Imperial capital ship in orbit. We wouldn't want to pop out of the atmosphere in range of its weapons."

The ship started to vibrate and an orange glow surrounded it as they climbed higher and faster in the sky.

"Found it, Gage Class," Duros said as he changed the Defender's trajectory, rising at a sharper angle, shortening the trip to space. The orange glow turned white and the vibrations became stronger and louder.

"Too steep Jedi, we'll break apart."

Duros ignored him. He had to break through the atmosphere before the Imperial ship pulled into range. The internal temperature in the cockpit started to rise and the equipment to heat up as the hull's metal transferred heat inside the ship. Lenora looked over to Duros.

"Master?" she asked, nervously.

"Almost through. Ready the shields."

The Defender burst through the upper edge of Belmond's atmosphere. The white glow evaporated and fell off the ship. Duros immediately banked port side and accelerated to full speed. The Imperial ship fired several missiles that exploded around the Defender but none made contact. The sudden acceleration took them out of range of most of its weapons.

"Fighters!" Lenora alerted Duros to the warning lights on the control panels.

The fighters opened fire on the Defender. The first volley rocked the ship but the shields absorbed most of the damage. The fighters were traveling in the opposite direction and took some time to turn and pull back in behind the Defender, they too were out of range but gaining. Before they were out of Belmond's gravity well Duros activated the hyperdrive and started to enter coordinates, pausing to check for the correct entry for Nar Shaadda.

"Head for Tython," Talus barked.

Duros immediately entered the coordinates he had memorized. The ship jumped into hyperspace before the fighters could come into range for a second volley.

Duros and Lenora both leaned back in their seats. She looked over to Duros and smiled.

"Well done, Jedi. You have a very fast ship," said Talus. The smile ran away from their faces as his voice reminded them they still had a Sith Lord on their ship.

"Not sure why you want to go to Tython but I'm sure we can find an appropriate place for you," Duros remarked.

"I'm sure you could but you agreed to take me to Nar Shaddaa. I just didn't want the Empire tracking your ship's trajectory and guessing where we went. Now they'll think we went straight to Tython. So when we come out of hyperspace, you will recalculate and take me to Nar Shaddaa."

Duros thought to himself weighing the value of sticking to his word with a Sith vs bringing him to Tython as a prisoner. Lenora kept facing forward trying to ignore Talus' presence.

Anise ran to the front of the cockpit stepping in front of Lenora pushing her arms out of the way and poked at the panel in front of her. She opened her eyes wide and watched the blue light pulsating around the ship.

"Don't touch that," Lenora snapped pushing Anise's hands away from the controls.

"Wow," Anise said, now keeping her hands tucked against her chest. She stepped backwards and leaned against the copilot chair's armrest and Lenora's thigh. Lenora tried to twist in the seat to get her off of her leg but she ran out of cushion.

"Why don't you come with us to Tython?" Lenora asked. Talus laughed out loud.

"I'm serious," Lenora continued. "You believe the Force sent us to Belmond. We went there to get a Sith who wanted to leave the Empire, come to work with the Jedi. That was you, you just didn't realize it. Now that the Sith have betrayed you what choice do you have? I mean you can't really believe you're on the right side of this war. The Jedi would never betray their own the way the Sith did to you."

"Your idealism is almost cute, baby Jedi. Number one, the list of individuals betrayed by the Jedi is too long to recount to you. Two, I could not unlearn the knowledge I have of the Force. The Jedi would welcome me, take whatever knowledge of the Empire I had, then pretend to deliberate before voting to kill me or worse. I'll pass."

"You don't have to unlearn anything. The Dark side is not stronger. You can relearn…"

Both Duros and Talus raised their hands to stop her.

"The dark side is stronger, despite the lies your Jedi Masters teach you. I will not be chained again by anyone. I dream of the day the Emperor could stand in the midst of your precious Jedi Council and watch them all die helplessly in his wake. You have no idea what power is."

"That's enough," Duros interrupted trying to diffuse the emotion. "We'll take you to Nar Shaddaa. I didn't agree to listen to your mouth the whole way."

He punched a few buttons on the front panel and the ship came out of hyperspace. Anise wowed a few more times staring out the front window. He punched the new coordinates for Nar Shaddaa and ship sped off towards its new destination.

Talus announced his final destination, "Quadrant 2, sector 120. Any landing zone free will suffice."

Duros nodded an acknowledgment. The ship hurtled silently through space for some time before Lenora started to speak again.

"So what's on Nar Shaddaa? You going to sell yourself to the Hutts?"

Duros flipped a panel lid shut loudly. Talus studied Lenora. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She looked away from him regretting asking the question.

"I have interests there."

He leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other.

"The Sith have no retirement plan. One must be careful to plan for his own support should the need arise."

"In other words, you've embezzled a fortune from the Empire. Maybe that's why they tried to kill you."

"You presume too much, girl, speaking to me as you do. I've killed more consequential people than you for much less. And I wouldn't condescend to explain politics to you."

"Fine, sorry I asked."

Anise reached for a button on the front panel and Lenora caught her hand and pushed it away. She reached again and Lenora caught it again.

"Stop it. That's not a toy."

Anise giggled and ran out of the cockpit. Talus stood up and announced his intention to wait out the journey in the ship's main compartment. Lenora and Duros didn't speak much the rest of the trip.

They landed on Nar Shaddaa at the location Talus requested, taking the Defender down to the surface. He exited the ship with Anise in tow. Lenora walked him off the ship though she stayed at the top of the ramp.

Talus looked back at her from the bottom. Duros appeared over her shoulder.

"Our truce is at an end. Don't assume our next meeting will end as peacefully."

With that the massive Sith Lord and his red-headed alien vanished into a mass of people. The Defender returned to Tython.


	13. On Tython

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**On Tython**

Lenora worked combinations into a heavy bag. She was the only one inside the large training room. The bag was suspended from the ceiling by a small tractor beam. It moved randomly around a portion of the floor. The sudden movements forced quick adaptations to the constantly changing distance necessary to attack. Lenora moved around following the bag transitioning fluidly from fists and feet to knees and elbows and back again.

Sweat ran down the bag and dripped onto the floor under it sketching out a pattern on the floor tracking its path.

Lenora wore only a tight pair of blue shorts soaked black with sweat and a small top that covered only what minimal modesty would demand.

Duros entered the gym from behind her shaking his head. He couldn't help but marvel at her conditioning but he disapproved the lack of covering. He bent down and picked through the wreckage of a training droid that had crumpled to the floor a few paces from her.

"I see you brutalized another training droid," he said to her while trying to untangle the robot. Lenora ignored him and continued to work combinations into the heavy bag filling the gym with echoes punctuating each strike.

Giving up on the mess Duros crossed to her other side and picked up a towel from the nearby bench and held it out to her. She continued hitting the bag harder and faster.

"You know," he said nodding to the droid, "they're built to train technique. You're not supposed to smash them to bits."

"They don't make 'em like they used to," she said in between punches.

"I don't know about that. You just weren't so…ripped…back then."

Lenora stopped the bag with both hands and took several deep breaths. She tried to wipe the sweat from her face with a wet forearm.

"I thought only Echani trained in the nude," Duros joked. Lenora snatched the towel from his hands.

"I'm not nude," she said wiping the towel across her face and neck.

"Now you're just splitting hairs," he answered.

"Did you come to critique my wardrobe?" Lenora asked with frustration.

"What is this about?" Duros asked her.

"Nothing," she answered throwing the towel back onto the bench and squaring off with the heavy bag again. Duros stepped in front of it.

"I'm talking to you," he said.

"Nothing is wrong. I love being locked up in here."

"You're not locked in anywhere. I have no idea what you are talking about."

"It's been two weeks, Master Sar'on. Two weeks. What assignments have I been given? How many times have you been sent out? I thought I was a Jedi."

She turned away from him and walked back to get the towel and started drying her face again, working her way down to her stomach and back.

"It can't be that," Duros protested.

"It is," she said drying her legs. Then she snapped back into a standing position and continued, "And I don't like all the questions the Council asked me."

"What questions?"

"They kept asking me about my feelings. What are they getting at? What am I supposed to feel?"

"Your first mission as a Jedi almost killed you. The second was even worse. It's natural to have some feeling about that."

"You ask me once or twice. To keep asking, something is wrong."

"Look, you killed two Sith warriors on your own, a tall order for a veteran Jedi. You survived a direct assault diving headfirst into an entire Imperial army. Don't you think a rest is a good thing?"

"No. It's not a rest because while I'm here no one will train me either. No one will talk to me about anything besides the weather. I can't even get Master Gnost-Dural to tell me a story. Suddenly I'm a leper no one wants to be around. Look around. There were people here when I started."

Duros looked around the empty training room.

"They were probably just finished, you know. Normal people get tired and stop working out after a while," Duros smirked.

"Yeah, that's it."

"No one is mad you, Lenora."

"Yeah, well, no one is talking to me either."

"What do you mean?"

"Where are the missing Jedi?"

Duros' smirk vanished.

"Yeah, you're not talking either," Lenora snapped. Then she shook her head and started collecting her dry clothes from the bench and slammed them into her gym bag.

"Who said anyone was missing?"

"You know, don't tell me, fine. But don't treat me like I can't see what's right in front of my face."

"Well if no one is talking to you, how do you know there are Jedi missing? Maybe they're just on a mission."

"Dorian is talking to me. His master left on a mission and didn't take him with him or tell him where he was going. He's been gone for more than a month. He can't get any answers from anyone. No one is saying where he is or when he's coming back. He figures he'll be stuck as a Padawan the rest of his life unless his Master comes back."

"Nice to see you two are still close after you completed your trials."

"He's not the only one missing a master. They asked me to find something out but no one will tell me either. So? Are you going to tell me or keep pretending nothing is wrong?"

"You're taking everything the wrong way. The Council is proud of you. I am proud of you. You survived again against the odds. Just like when Master Moross was killed. You survived."

Lenora's head dropped when she heard the name of her former master.

"He is proud of you as well," he continued.

Lenora picked up her gym bag and stood in place. Her demeanor softened as she remembered some of her master's teachings, though even the happy memories had become painful with his death.

"You should take this time to center yourself. Review your training. And may I make a suggestion?"

"You've made quite a few already."

"You should spend some time with the young initiates."

Lenora rolled her eyes and let the bag drop to her side.

"I'm serious. You should spend time with them, watch how their training is going. You will need to think about taking on an apprentice next year or if not then certainly the year after."

"I haven't thought about an apprentice."

"Well it's getting near time. It's part of becoming a complete Jedi."

"Do you really start picking your apprentice a year out?"

"Sometimes. It's not like just picking some name out of a hat. Hopefully there is a good personality match."

"It seemed to us like the Council just picked one for you. I mean technically we knew we were chosen, but it didn't seem that way."

"They review the matches and sometimes veto the choice. I remember there was quite a battle for you. A few different Jedi tried to pick you but the Council wouldn't allow it. They thought you needed to be with a Master."

"So they chose Master Moross? I was an assignment!"

Duros laughed at her outrage.

"The Council knew you would be more than a handful. I believe you were the first of your peers to perfect Force Push. You spent the next month randomly knocking other students down, shoving objects off the tops of desks."

"I remember," Lenora said allowing a smile to form on her face. "The trainers would get so frustrated with me."

"I believe you managed to teach yourself Force Pull, thereafter becoming that much more of a menace. Pulling things off tables and pretending the other kids had pushed it off. You were definitely a handful."

"I didn't realize you watched me so carefully back then. I mean, sure I saw you around but you were just one of those old Jedi Masters wandering the halls."

"No, I was a little more than that. I watched you for quite some time."

"So why didn't you pick me as your Padawan?"

"I did, actually."

"Really? I never knew. So what happened? Did the Council veto it?"

"No but Master Moross and I both requested to take you as a Padawan."

"So why did they pick Master Moross?"

"They let us settle it ourselves. We decided to flip a coin for it."

"Flip a coin! That was how I was to become a Jedi?"

"A coin flip. Master Moross flipped the coin up, I called heads. Of course it took about ten minutes for it to hit the ground. And when it did it landed on its edge. It took about another two or three minutes to fall flat, but it was tails. What can I say? Master Moross wouldn't agree to a duel."

"I had no idea I came so close to being your Padawan. Thank you for telling me. Kind of flattering actually."

"I was trying to make a point. Everyone here thinks very highly of you. You have impressed us all and you continue to be so far beyond where you were expected to be at this age. You have nothing to prove. Just relax, enjoy the down times. There will be less and less of them in the near future."

"What about the missing Jedi? I can't not notice."

They stared silently at each other. Lenora wasn't budging.

"Ok. I'll tell you. But you can't tell your friend. There's a reason Master Sesh didn't tell him and it's not our place to overrule him."

"I will speak to no one."

"For starters, there's a reason the Jedi agreed to the Treaty of Coruscant even though the terms were terrible for the Republic. Simply put, we can regroup and replenish ourselves without the constant fighting. The Sith and the Empire on the other hand can't. Without the Jedi to fight the Sith immediately turn on themselves, as we've seen first hand. While our army veterans return to families and help train new recruits and update equipment, the Empire's army must be redeployed to hold the planets they conquered already as the oppression leads to rebellion. Our resources are shifted away from war to rebuilding our economies and therefore we become more powerful for when the war resumes, as we all know it will. The Empire must continue to expend resources just to maintain what they've already won. Peace, even a bad peace, strengthens the Republic and weakens the Empire. The longer the peace holds the better for us. So the peace must be held for as long as possible. That means some sacrifices must be made."

"What does this have to do the missing Jedi?"

"To speed along the Empire's decline some Jedi Masters have been sent onto these conquered worlds to help the rebellions. Most of these small forces would be wiped out if left on their own. The Jedi can help organize and even fight in key battles. We can help equip the rebels by stealing the Empire's own supplies of weapons and equipment to use against them."

"Dorian would know if his Master was killed so he must be alive. Are they are hiding on these worlds? Is that why we can't talk to them?"

"Some have been captured. Unfortunately the Sith do not announce when Jedi are captured. The Council cannot complain publicly. The missions are not sanctioned by the Republic. Some members of the Senate might object to the Council violating the Treaty and risking open war."

"And…"

"And that's it. We send others to seek them out but the Sith are not saying that they have them or where. The Council can't admit the Jedi are missing. If the Republic Senate finds out they may further distance themselves from the Council."

"So we leave them to rot in some Sith dungeon?!"

"These are difficult times, Lenora. You must trust the Jedi Council. They must do what is best for the whole. It's why many Masters chose not to take their Padawans on these missions in the first place. They knew the danger."

"I can't believe this."

"A Jedi's life is sacrifice. That is what we are taught from the beginning."

"I understand sacrifice but dying in battle is not the same thing as being left to be tortured in the hands of the Sith forever."

"All of us who have gone on these missions did so fully aware of the risks. I trust you with this information. Don't make me regret that trust."

Lenora turned away from Duros again. She put one hand on the training equipment but all her energy was spent. She just leaned a fist against it.

"Thank you for trusting me. You won't regret it."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to take a shower."

"And then put some clothes on, I hope."

"Yes," she said rolling her eyes again, "I'll put some clothes on."

"Don't rush ahead, Lenora. Nothing good ever comes out of it. You must be wise and calm. Then the true course will be clear to you."

Lenora took a step and then paused for a moment, then she started for the exit. Duros stood in place watching her leave hoping in vain that she would glace back at him one time before leaving.

#

Lenora stepped out of the Jedi temple on Tython early the next morning. The air was crisp and smelled fresh. She skipped the armor choosing instead a short cloth top that left her mid-drift exposed and a knee length skirt. A small bag was slung over one shoulder. There was no place to hang a lightsaber so she kept it in her hand, twirling it on her palm or flipping it up and catching it every so many steps.

She tried to ignore the sounds of nature as she passed through the all but empty market that set up each morning just outside the temple, walked along the outer courtyards staring up passed the trees. The sights and sounds of Coruscant flashed across her mind as she looked back at the temple moving further away from her and pictured it as it was, a solid structure jutting out from the surrounding steel mountains and canyons. She shook her head and pushed on outside of town.

Her walk took her through a wooded area along a dirt path except for some short steel gratings over particularly soft patches of ground. This particular stretch of landscape reminded her too much of Belmond. If her boot never stepped on unpaved ground again it would still be too soon. She quickened her pace when a more developed area came into view.

In front her were a series of several long buildings with roofs open to the sky with large cargo ships noisily landing or taking off. She changed course to pass through one building on the far side of the complex.

She entered an open side entrance of a warehouse. She could hear the sound of people working. Computerized lifts buzzed around carrying and dropping off loads in all directions. Men barked orders to each other while waving datapads and quickly stacking boxes on new pallets. She just took in the action and twirled her lightsaber again on her palm.

A man working in the loading dock whistled at her as she walked by.

Something about this warehouse reminded her of Coruscant. Perhaps it was the smell of the steel racks and walls or the concrete floor. Or it was the exhaust of star ships that lingered in the air even after all ships had been long gone, as if the air itself was permanently stained by the fumes.

The center of the floor especially called to her mind a section of the old, now destroyed temple. There was a series of steps in the metal as it worked its way down to a trench presumably for water runoff though she couldn't remember ever seeing water in it.

There was another whistle off in the distance and a few random offers of assistance but she ignored them. She was not lost.

Nothing about this section really looked like the water trench directly and she couldn't quite place why it evoked this memory. She remembered as a child laying down in it and pressing herself tightly against the step hiding from the instructors. There were so many places here someone small could hide between all the stacks of cargo.

Lenora continued to walk spinning her saber hilt every so many paces. She noticed a group of workmen that her path was taking her very close to. They tapped each other on the shoulder making sure everyone saw her coming.

_'You look lost, young lady. Can I give you a hand?' _

She kept walking passed them adding a little more hip into her walk. The comments however became increasingly crude. After a rather lewd comment she flipped her saber hilt up in the air. It kept spinning, traveling up just higher than her shoulder, but it never came back down. She walked under it and after a few steps without slowing her pace she peeked back over her shoulder at the now silent men staring with their mouths open at the spinning saber hilt as it hung in mid-air. The saber stopped spinning and drifted slowly down into her hand. She turned back to the front and continued walking letting the saber twirl on her palm again.

_'I've been a bad boy, Jedi. You really should investigate.'_

A door opened from somewhere behind a wall of stacked material and a fat man scurried out grumbling "all right what is going…" He stopped walking and put his hands on his hips as Lenora greeted him with a smile.

"Nice day for a stroll I see, young Jedi."

"I need a pilot," she said matter-of-factly.

"Right. Nice seeing you again. I was starting to worry."

"I've been busy," she replied as she continued passed him.

She heard him sniping at the other men as she exited the warehouse _'all right, all right, show is over. Mop up your chins and get back to work.'_

Lenora stayed outside the rest of the warehouses and entered a central building that was a hanger for passenger starships. Several pilots sat milling around playing pazaak or swapping war stories. A few were lying on top of or under their ships with tools spread out. The Jedi kept freelance pilots around paying them a small retainer fee. They were paid more if they actually had a job ferrying the Jedi across the galaxy. Lenora's presence was not unnoticed.

Pilots inquired of her destination as she passed, trying the soft sell approach but she wasn't interested in just a ride. She would need to pick her own pilot. A certain kind of person. She looked around the room sensing the different personality types. She wanted a specific characteristic aside from being able to fly. Someone willing to bend the rules a little bit, not afraid to lose an easy gig on Tython. A scoundrel.

"What about you?" she said to a pair of boots sticking out from under an open loading ramp.

A set of hands appeared and grasped the edge of the ramp. The man slid himself out from under the ramp quickly at first and then very slowly once he saw the boots Lenora wore. His eyes rested momentarily there and took an awfully long time to make their way up to her eyes, not missing anything in between. Lenora turned her head aside and waited for him to finish impatiently, looking back finally when their eyes could meet.

"Try not to take it all in at once," she warned him.

"Where can I take you?"

"Can this thing fly?"

"Absolutely. Door's just making some noise in atmosphere. I was trying to find the source. I can do that anywhere. Where are you headed?"

"I'm going to need at least two days. Maybe three."

"No problem there. What's the destination?"

"Your flight log is going to say Coruscant."

"Interesting. Where are we really headed?"

"Nar Shaddaa. "Quadrant 2, sector 120. Any landing zone free will suffice."

"Welcome aboard."


	14. The Shadow

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**The Shadow**

Lord Alek Talus was quite comfortable on Nar Shaddaa. He had funneled hundreds of thousands of Republic and Empire credits into personal accounts held across several banks that preferred to operate here. Accounts were opened with a number. No names. No signatures. No cameras. No questions.

Over the years since leaving Korriban he made himself a silent partner of several cantinas and gambling halls. These partners had no name to refer to him by since they never dealt directly with him. They worked only through intermediates with large sums of money. To each other they called him The Shadow. Once The Shadow's non-name was associated with a business gambling and spice debts were paid quickly. Even the Hutts avoided shaking down those enterprises. Few crossed this silent partner but any who did died a gruesome, public death.

Rumors had started that the Shadow was in fact a Sith. No number of bodyguards could protect someone once they had been marked and who but a Sith could murder so many simultaneously and disappear again without a single witness. The deaths were usually preceded by an Empire allied ship appearing in orbit or docking on planet for some other business. So effective was the fear of The Shadow this sector of Nar Shaddaa had become the safest location for anyone who wished to deal spice. All anyone had to say was they were working for the Shadow. No matter how unbelievable the claim the risk of being wrong was too great. An illicit business famous for double-cross and murder became as reliable and non-violent as selling candy.

Talus had assumed the name Thorne and hired a few hands to keep watch on his apartment and to keep an ear on the street. It was not clear how long he could keep his presence here a secret from the Empire but he wanted to do so for as long as possible. Some of the men who worked for him wondered amongst themselves if the imposing figure of Mr. Thorne was in fact The Shadow himself. No one had the courage to ask.

He spent the last two weeks getting acquainted with his holdings. He stayed out of the public eye and only infrequently left the confines of his home. While considerable in size and luxury it was not even the fanciest apartment on its floor, let alone the building. He was comfortable without being opulent.

Talus sat in front of a console staring into a computer screen displaying information on the movement of Sith fleets. He had contacts on multiple planets using certain Imperial Agents and various Republic spies playing for both teams to keep up to date on vessel movements. He was especially interested in one in particular, though he never allowed his contacts to be aware of it. That vessel was Darth Vuull's flagship. It seemed to be heading for Balmorra soon. It was the furthest Darth Vuull had traveled away from Dromund Kaas since Talus' sojourn on Nar Shaddaa.

Anise sat at a table in the sitting room. Her feet dangled from the edge of her chair hopelessly far from the floor. She sat upright with her palms flat on the table in front of her staring through the antechamber leading to the apartment's exit. She had no emotion on her face.

Talus looked up from his computer screen and rubbed the dryness from his eyes. He stared at Anise and felt the emptiness in her. Even their bond had been getting progressively more quiet. There seemed to be less of her day by day.

He crossed the room and sat adjacent to her. He put a hand on her head and combed through her hair, flipping some sections over her shoulder.

"Soon, Anise. Soon we will have our revenge."

She offered no reaction and Talus wasn't expecting one. He was merely saying it aloud to himself. But she slowly turned her head around and looked up directly into his eyes.

Talus stared back into her eyes but not really at her. He was looking at her eyes. This was the first time he took the time to notice them. They were almost hypnotizing. Her eyes were by far her most obvious feature. In all other aspects she could pass for an exceptionally short human but not her eyes. He noticed that they were not actually solid green. Staring so closely he could see they were actually a mosaic of different shades of green packed tightly together.

The apartment was lit up brightly by the sun. With this much light her pupils were folded tight into black lines. She blinked. Her upper and lower eyelids raced across the surface to meet in the center of her eyes and slowly receded back to their place. Talus ran his hand through her hair again pushing another section behind her shoulder. She blinked again.

When her eyelids separated the second time they revealed eyes glowing Sith yellow. Talus leaned back in his chair away from her, their bond suddenly overflowing with emotions. He felt an invisible hand crush his throat closed and jerk him up off the floor suspending him in mid-air. He tried to break her grip with the Force but he could not.

Anise flipped the table across the room, hopped down off the chair and pushed Talus backwards through the air.

"You brought me here," she shouted at him.

His back slammed against the wall. She stalked towards him. Talus held his breath instead of fighting for air he knew he could not get while she held him and pulled his lightsaber from his waist. He gathered his strength in the Force together and unleashed a torrent of Force Lightning at Anise.

She raised her hand and absorbed the attack harmlessly into her palm, as he knew she would, but it was enough to weaken her grip on his throat and he was able to break free. He dropped to the ground and finally took a breath.

Talus swung his lightsaber at her trying to touch her with only the tip of his blade hoping to drive her back a step. She stepped forward instead instantly closing the distance and caught him by his wrist holding his weapon. She turned her shoulder into his navel and pulled down hard on his arm flipping him upside down. She sent a Force Push concentrated into a small area slamming into the exact center of his torso. The impact launched him horizontally across the full length of the room. He hit the opposite wall against his back. The magnitude of the Force impact left him disoriented and he could not defend himself from the blow or brace for the impact against the wall. His head whipped into the wall an instant after his body. He slid down and fell limp onto the floor face down.

He tried to lift himself up onto his hands and knees. A pool of red started to form under his face fed from a stream that ran from his head. He added to the pool with a cough.

He could see his lightsaber lying only inches from his hand. He tried to reach for it but he lost sight of it. His peripheral vision had turned to black. He could watch his field of vision shrink. He was going to lose consciousness. He could feel Anise approach. She was coming to kill him and he could do nothing about it.

With all the strength he could find, whatever power he had left he would use for one last act of defiance. He would show her a world without him. He severed the bonds between them. He heard a sudden silence then he surrendered to the darkness.

#

Lenora wandered the streets of Nar Shaddaa. She paid for a small room close to a section busy with cantinas. The place was filthy but it was cheap. She didn't have much money. She had spent one whole day and most of a night searching for any sign of Lord Talus but knew nothing more than what she did when she landed.

The sun was setting again on a second day. The bright sunlight was giving way to purple and yellow neon. She had visited every cantina, swoop track, shady merchant, and area patrolled by prostitutes she could find. It was becoming clear to her that she lacked the street smarts to get any information. Even if she asked the right person she would never know it.

Using the Force here to search for a person was useless. The sheer number of people, the constant buzz of billions on top of billions made finding a Force user impossible. She had stopped asking people questions. Now she just walked around for the sake of it. If the Force wills that she find him perhaps she would.

She stepped through a large arch onto a platform that formed a walkway across the tops of several buildings. In the center of the walkway was a large square opening with a fence around it. She walked to the edge and looked down into a bottomless cavern. This gap seemed to run all the way down to the planet's surface.

She stared down the hole for a time and turned to go but something stopped her. She turned back toward the opening and listened. There was a hum similar to the constant din she had felt since arriving on Nar Shaddaa but something here was different. It felt alive in the Force. Something powerful was here.

Lenora put her hands on the fence and tried to understand what she was feeling. The discordant din intensified so much her ears hurt from the sound. She covered them with her hands but the sound became louder. It was coming from inside her head.

The vibration and murmuring she heard was through the Force. She focused on the sensation trying to find its source. The emotions finally came into focus as the despair of billions of people filled her mind. The anguish and suffering, an entire planet's worth of pain swirled around its surface and rushed up the shaft and bathed Lenora in its power. She stood frozen, shocked by the emotion but unable to pull herself away from it. She fell into a trance as she tried to absorb and make sense of it all.

_'Are you ok, miss?'_

Lenora heard a voice.

"Miss? Are you alright?"

She heard it again only clearer. Lenora looked up to her right a saw a young human child wearing a ragged dress.

"What?" Lenora asked trying to regain her senses.

"Are you hurt?" the little girl asked.

Lenora shook her head trying to get her bearings. The sun had set and artificial lights lit up the courtyard. She looked back and up at the girl and realized that she was kneeling. She stood up and shook the dirt from her knees.

"Yes, I'm fine," Lenora answered her. She felt a tickle on her cheek and extended a finger to satisfy it. She was surprised to find her finger had become wet. She used a sleeve to wipe tears from her face. A man walked up behind the girl and put his arms over her shoulders.

"Is there something wrong?" the man asked. "You're crying."

"No, I wasn't crying. I mean, I was," she said trying to laugh, "but it wasn't…me…I'm fine. Thank you."

"Are you a Jedi?" the man asked her. "You have a lightsaber though I don't think I've ever seen one that big."

"I am."

"We don't get many Jedi on Nar Shaddaa. Can I ask you why you're here?"

Lenora laughed to herself, "I have no idea, actually."

"Ok, well, we don't want to keep you. Good bye," the man said pulling his daughter away.

"Wait," Lenora called to him while digging into her bag. "Take this. It's not much but maybe it can help you out a little bit."

"We're not beggars. Thank you, we'll be fine."

"No, it's not charity. There's just not a lot of people around that think of others. Or, you know, try to help. Especially here. Just, I want there to be some reward of some kind for it. You did help me. I don't know how long I would have been stuck here. Please, take it."

"Thank you, Jedi. You are generous," he said taking the credits.

Lenora looked around again and took another shot at cleaning her knees.

"What _am_ I doing here?" she asked herself.

She started making her way back to her room. The dock was too far to walk to and she was completely exhausted. She decided she'll spend one more night here and go home first thing in the morning.


	15. Found

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**Found**

Talus heard two short beeps from the main console indicating an incoming call. Of all the sounds of his new home on Nar Shaddaa this was the one he had yet to get used to. Something about the lifeless, monotonous tones always aggravated him. It was never important enough to address so the stimulus continued, re-aggravating him over and over again.

The console beeped at him again.

Talus tried to go back to sleep. He was too tired to get up and thought if he just ignored it for a while longer whoever was calling would stop and go away. But the beeping continued.

He noticed the sound of the console was different. He normally couldn't hear the console from his bed. He opened his eyes surprised to see he was lying face down on the floor. He lifted his head peeling his face free from the congealed blood. The inside of the apartment was filled with the garish neon lights from outside. The windows were open and no lights inside the apartment were turned on.

The console beeped again. That someone would keep calling for this long began to infuriate him. He pulled his hands in closer to his body and tried to lift himself off the floor. The instant his core muscles tightened an incredible pain from his stomach ripped through his body dropping him back to the floor. A knot formed in his stomach and slid up his esophagus until he choked out a ball of blood and flesh.

The shock of pain sharpened his mind until he finally remembered why he was on the floor.

Talus used the burning pain in is body, using it to fuel his power in the dark side. His body vibrated with energy. He braced himself for the oncoming agony as he prepared his body to stand. Ignoring his injuries that screamed for him to remain down he pushed himself off the floor.

He snapped up into a standing position. He felt blood that had pooled inside his body shift. Damaged organs split apart. His head pounded and a cry of rage and agony shook the walls.

Talus squeezed his hands into tight fists. He funneled his pain and rage into the Force. Dark side power swirled around and through his body until it took the form of a nearly visible black haze. The energy danced and floated around him fueling his power. It penetrated his body fusing torn flesh and damaged organs.

After only seconds he felt whole physically. Only his anger was left to be sated. He felt Anise's presence nearby. His lightsaber leapt off the floor into his hand and ignited into a glowing red blade that altered the colors of the darkened room. He stormed off into an adjoining room to find Anise.

Furniture slid out of his path. His pace quickened when he spotted Anise slumped into a corner with her knees pulled up into her chest and her face buried in them, her arms limp at her sides.

Talus reached down and snatched her off the floor by a handful of hair from the top of her head. Her body stayed limp as he hoisted her up and held her out at arm's length. He pulled his right arm back and held the tip of his blade an inch from her heart.

He stopped to look into her eyes again. There was no expression on her tear soaked face. Deep inside her he could feel a distant panic as if her mind shut down detached from the overwhelming emotion. He tried to feed on her fear but could not reach it.

The console continued to beep at him.

Suddenly becoming aware of the machine he was jarred from his inaction. He cursed at the machine and himself for hesitating, then threw Anise overhand into the next room. She smashed into the overturned table. Chairs scattered away from her path and she slid to a stop nearly against the wall in the fetal position. Talus stomped over to the console and slammed the control to stop the horrific noise.

"What!" he shouted into the machine.

"I have news Mr. Thorne, news I think you will pay generously for."

"Speak quickly. I have no time for you."

"Well, it seems there's a Jedi traipsing all through this sector asking about an unusually tall human man who may be traveling with a small redheaded alien."

"Describe this Jedi."

"Very young. I didn't think they made Jedi that age, and not bad looking at all for a human."

"I will pay you for this information. Send some servants to my apartment."

"Yes sir, Mr. Thorne," the voice finished and disconnected.

Talus closed his connection. He turned to see Anise lying on the floor. He picked up a chair near his feet and placed it upright facing her.

He lowered himself into the chair carefully keeping his still lit saber at his side. He let his anger subside. After several deep breaths he allowed his power in the Force to create a bond, offering it once again to Anise. She immediately accepted. He felt the bond intertwine again stronger than ever. Her body unwound as emotions passed through their bonds overwhelming them both.

Anise stood up. Her eyes searched for Talus and when their eyes met she ran to him, threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in his stomach.

"Don't leave me," she cried into his body.

Talus placed a hand on her back and squeezed her tightly.

"It seems our time together has not yet ended. There is someone I need you to find."

#

Lenora stared up at the stained ceiling over her bed. Her neck had started to cramp up from hours of thrashing around. The incessant hum of the planet kept her from clearing her mind. She could still feel the lingering misery that swept up the shaft that had immobilized her the night before. Sleep was all but impossible. She rolled onto her side and wrapped her arms around a pillow. Perhaps this time it would be comfortable enough.

It was a useless gesture. She kicked off her blanket in frustration and sat up in bed looking around the dark room. She couldn't understand why this seemed so much worse than the night before. Something in the Force was different.

Lenora crossed her legs and rested her hands with her palms facing up on her knees. She tried to clear her mind of any conscious thoughts and listen to the Force. Almost immediately she could hear a different frequency like an undercurrent. She pushed the background noise out of her mind and a distinct signal emerged from the chaos. She recognized the sensation but could not place it. She sat quiet and still.

A picture took form in her mind. A memory of a place she had seen recently. She tried to push it away and concentrate instead on this sensation but the picture kept returning to her mind. It was coming from the Force.

The picture was of a store front she had visited the day before. She stared at it in her mind's eye until she could finally remember the name and where it was. Immediately the picture changed. The image panned to the side where there was an entrance to an alley. In her mind she walked into the alley. The signal stopped. The picture vanished.

Lenora opened her eyes. She looked around the room wondering to herself if she was only dreaming. There was only one way she could find out for sure.

She got up and dressed quickly. She picked up her bag and lightsaber and left her room to find the alley.

It took less than an hour to locate it. It was further away than she remembered but she had no trouble getting there. Muffled music could be heard all around the building. Some people down a moderate distance spoke Drunk loudly to each other. Still the area seemed quiet and calm. Taking a moment to meditate she could feel the familiar sensation again.

She started down the alleyway cautiously. She sensed no danger but the alley was dark. It banked sharply to her right and when she turned the corner she saw at the end of the alley Anise sitting on top of a row of crates. A neon sign on the back of the cantina offered some light.

Anise turned to face Lenora. Her eyes seemed to glow green out of the shadows. The glow vanished to black and reappeared a moment later to indicate a blink.

Lenora sat next to Anise on the crates.

"I could hear you calling me," she said to Anise.

She didn't respond and only straightened her legs out and stared at her feet. Lenora tried to think of something else to say to start the conversation but came up empty. She wasn't even sure she could speak.

"Were you looking for me?" Anise asked, taking Lenora by surprise. Her voice was soft and small but not at all immature. She had a slight Imperial accent.

"Talus, actually. But you too."

"He asked me to find you. I can take you to him if you want me to."

"If I want? Don't you do what he wants? He is your Master, isn't he?"

"I don't know. I never thought about it."

Lenora was intrigued by the thought of Anise actually being able to communicate. She had just assumed she was broken and wouldn't be capable of more than a few words.

"So you could leave him if you wanted to?" Lenora asked.

"I guess," Anise shrugged, barely seeming interested in the conversation.

"So why don't you then? Come with me to Tython."

"What's on Tython?"

"The Jedi Temple is there."

"Aren't the Jedi the bad guys?"

"No," Lenora's words stumbled. "The Sith are. They made war against us."

She thought to defend the Jedi to Anise but she could tell she wasn't interested in the conversation.

"If you could get away from Talus you should do it," she said instead.

"But aren't you looking for him?"

"I have a use for him."

"Me too."

A drunk staggered through the alley passed them and out into the street. The two watched him quietly. So many questions raced through Lenora's mind she couldn't pick one out to form the words. She wanted to know how the Force felt to Anise. What it was like to have so much power. If she was not Sith if she could become a Jedi. She gave up on a question and decided just to go see Talus.

"I don't know the answer," Anise answered the unasked question.

"What?"

"I don't see the Force the way you do."

"I've seen you use the dark side."

"The Force is just another sense, like sight or smell. Is there a dark side of seeing, or a way to smell from the light side? There are nice things to see and some ugly things to see. Seeing is seeing. The Force is the Force. How it's used doesn't change what it is."

"What do you mean?"

"Give me your hand," Anise said holding out hers. Lenora was hesitant but curiosity wouldn't allow her to refuse. She offered her hand. Anise turned Lenora's hand palm up placing one of hers on top and one underneath. Lenora was surprised how soft Anise's skin felt against her own. She became self-conscious about how course her own skin had gotten by constant training. Anise's hands were small but there was a power in her grip, no matter how gentle she tried to be.

"Close your eyes," Anise told her. "Feel the Force between my hands."

Lenora obeyed. She meditated on the Force. She could feel its power grow stronger in her hand between Anise's. She felt Anise's hands separate from each other, the energy passing between Anise's hands, passing through hers. The energy grew stronger and swirled around her palm until she felt like there was a small tornado dancing in her hand.

She felt power surge in her body and flow into her hand. She started to feel several small pinches of the skin on her palm as she visualized the tip of the tornado touch her. The pinches increased in frequency with the power of the energy. Through her closed eyes she could see a bright purple light glowing.

She opened her eyes and saw a bright purple sphere of energy hovering above her hand. Small sparks of energy like electricity were jumping from her hand into the outer edge of the sphere feeding it power. She could direct more power from her body into her palm and the pinching sparks increased in frequency and the sphere glowed brighter.

"It's beautiful," Lenora said to Anise, but there was no response. She looked up expecting to see her still sitting next to her but she wasn't there. Startled by her absence she looked around in all directions. Her concentration disrupted, the sphere faded away. Lenora stood up rubbing her hand. Without the bright light of the sphere her eyes adjusted to the darkness again and she found Anise standing only a few steps away.

"We should go to Talus now," Anise said in a monotone. Her voice, suddenly lifeless, lacked the emotion and energy she had only moments ago.

"Ok," Lenora responded, confused by the sudden change in tone.

They walked together down the alley. After a few steps Anise took Lenora by the hand to pull her in a different direction. She didn't let go and continued to hold it as they walked together through Nar Shaddaa.


	16. At the Rubicon

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

**At the Rubicon**

Anise and Lenora finally arrived at a lesser used entrance to Talus' apartment building. They stayed off the main roads, walked through shadows when possible, and were seen by few. Inside, the hallways were well lit. Anise had to hide her eyes behind her hair to keep them open at all.

A long elevator trip brought them to an upper floor in front of a double door. As the elevator closed and retreated Anise opened one door and stepped into the apartment.

Lenora paused outside. The presence of the dark side was strong here. Her instincts told her to leave. Her training told her to leave. She stepped inside.

She entered into a greeting room with vaulted ceilings and plenty of seating around the edges of the room. She turned as she made it further into the room walking backwards admiring the works of art that adorned the walls. She measured the room in her mind wondering if her apartment in the Temple was as large as just this one room. She wanted to see the rest of the apartment. She didn't notice Talus had entered from the other side. She just barely stopped before bumping into him. She spun back around to face him, looked up into his eyes and backed away.

"Sorry, I didn't see you," she innocently remarked.

He looked odd wearing simple street clothes, loose fitting pants made of a cloth material and a pull-over, long sleeved shirt. Talus just stared at her. His stare was more intense than she remembered. Her mind told her to flee, that she was in danger. Talus turned his back on her and looked across the apartment to find Anise. She had walked straight into the apartment out of Lenora's sight.

"Quickly, Jedi. Who knows you're here?"

"Why?" she tried to stall the question. She realized that no one knew where she was. A small twinge of panic set in.

Talus abruptly turned back around and took one big step towards her. She took three steps back and put her hand on her saber hilt. Talus smiled and laughed silently. He started walking a circular path around the greeting room. He came no closer to her but was moving into a position between her and the exit.

"You are a curious sight, I must confess," he spoke casually. "I thought it would be somewhat entertaining to inquire of your purpose for this visit while I decide whether to let you live, or not."

"Let me live?"

"I came here to hide. A Jedi asking half of Nar Shaddaa about me makes that difficult. It's going to make people ask questions I don't want them to ask. The damage is already done. The only question I've yet to determine is if having you leave empty handed or turn up dead will lessen those suspicions. I'll decide soon, so please, tell me. Why are you here?"

"I had an offer I thought you might be interested in hearing."

"I'm listening now."

"Well, I thought you might like an opportunity to strike back at the Sith, for betraying you."

"And how do you propose I do this?"

"There is a missing Jedi Master, Mitheus Sesh. I thought you might know where he's being held."

"And if I do?" Talus asked moving closer to Lenora now that he had stood in her path to the door. She stepped back and slightly to the side trying to take the same path he used to get herself between him and the door.

"Well, we could get him out."

Talus' head dropped to one side and he stretched his neck out pointing an ear at Lenora. She had nothing to add.

"Is that it?"

"That's it," Lenora answered, realizing for the first time she hadn't really thought this through.

"I see." Talus stood upright again. "You thought my thirst for revenge was so great that I would forgive you exposing my identity and not destroy you on sight," Talus pulled out his lightsaber as he continued speaking, "then further risk exposure by using my contacts to find your missing Jedi."

Lenora backed away and pulled her saber as well though neither one lit theirs.

"Then having found your missing Jedi, I will risk my life to free said Jedi on my own, you obviously would be no use to me in a fight. So, where was I? I free the Jedi while you watch from the sidelines. Do I have this right so far?"

"We could work together."

"Jedi, you have far too much faith in my quest for revenge. Do you think me such a monster?" he mocked.

"Come back with me to…"

"Don't even bother finishing that sentence," Talus said waving off her words.

"Why not? You're not a Sith anymore."

Talus studied Lenora. His eyes were penetrating. She felt like he was looking at her soul. She moved uncomfortably trying to hide behind nothing.

"You've changed a great deal since we first met, Lenora, is it?"

Hearing her name from his lips made her even more uncomfortable. He stepped closer to her and she again stepped back and sideways trying to get a clear path to the exit.

"I wonder if you told your Masters our little secret," he continued.

"We have no secrets," Lenora objected.

"Oh, come now. We both know how you managed to defeat two Sith warriors all by yourself."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lenora's words defiant.

"Hmmm. Don't you? You tasted of the dark side. I can still feel it in you."

"You sense nothing," Lenora tried to block his words but she could still feel something inside. The emotions of that battle still lingered below the surface. No doubt Duros and the other Masters must have sensed it as well. Only now she realized why they kept her at the temple. She suddenly wished she was there now.

"What is it the Jedi teach, 'once you start down the path,'" Talus recited through a smirk. Lenora got angry.

"I haven't started down any path. I'm trying to free a Jedi Master that is being held prisoner. Probably being tortured as we speak. I came to you for help. That's all."

Talus listened with a sarcastic look of deep concern and understanding, nodding after each of her comments. Lenora rolled her eyes but couldn't figure a way passed him. She didn't think he would just let her leave.

"You are truly a Jedi, Lenora."

She cringed again when he said her name.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Only a Jedi could so completely delude herself."

"Look, if you're not interested then let's just forget the whole thing. I'll find another way," she started walking toward the door.

"I can see the real reason you're here," Talus said as he let her pass.

Lenora stopped walking. There was nothing between her and the door but she couldn't leave. Not yet. She turned and faced him again but remained silent.

"You can hide it from yourself but you cannot hide it from me."

"Ok. What am I hiding from myself?"

"Your whole life you have been trained to suppress your own wishes. Your desires, your _passion_. And in one instant you learned that was all a lie."

Talus stepped closer to her. She tried to back up but he was determined to close the distance. Lenora had no where left to retreat so she stood as tall as she could.

"Some of that passion still lingers," Talus continued.

"Get away from me. You have no idea what you are talking about."

"I can feel the torment in you. You try to suppress your feelings but you can't extinguish that spark. The embers are still smoldering. You do wish me to help you, but not with your lost Jedi."

Lenora backed away again finding a little more space. Talus let her increase the distance between them.

"Now you've just lost your mind. You're wrong."

"You lie, like a Jedi."

Talus stepped closer to her. She lit her saber staff and dropped into a fighting stance. Talus ignited his also and continued to close in on her.

Lenora attacked him with her saber while backing up. He deflected all of her attacks effortlessly. They moved around the whole room. Every step back she made he stepped forward. She could not stop his advance.

After completing half a lap around the room Lenora tried a spinning attack. Talus reached over her left shoulder to intercept the attack when her back was to him. He grabbed the center of the hilt preventing her from finishing the move. He drove his hip into the small of her back and plowed forward using his body to drive her hard against the wall.

She shut off her saber before she crashed into it. She pushed against the wall to try to get some space but only her upper body separated from it. Talus' hip pressed against her lower body pinning it against the wall.

His red blade passed slowly down in front of her face. She stopped trying to push him away and watched the blade move below her chin and towards her neck. She tried to lean back pressing her head into Talus' chest arching her back as far as she could. He tugged at her saber hilt. She let it go and pressed both palms against the wall trying to get away from the humming blade at her throat.

She heard her hilt hit the floor next to her. Then she inhaled deeply when she felt Talus' hand slide across her bare stomach. The red light burned her eyes and the steady hum sounded like a roar in her ears. She pushed herself into his chest harder trying to keep the blade from touching her skin.

His hand traced out the lines of her muscles starting just above the top of her skirt. He worked his hand up to the top of her abdominals under her shirt.

"Can you still hide it from yourself, Lenora?"

Lenora's breathing became labored from the stretched back and her racing heartbeat.

"That's kind of cute," she said to him trying to catch her breath. "I didn't think Sith had fantasies."

Talus spun her around by her shoulder slamming her back against the wall. He pushed his saber back at her throat so fast her mind fooled itself into thinking she had felt its sting. She put both hands on his chest pushing herself flat against the wall. He pressed his knee between her thighs forcing them apart, then slid his free hand behind her lower back and started to slowly pull her body closer to his.

Their eyes locked together, both faces reflecting the red light from the saber. His arm kept pulling her closer. She pushed harder against his chest and arched her back as her pelvis slid further up his thigh, inch by inch, until her skirt was around her waist and her feet could no longer reach the floor.

Lenora bent her legs and locked her ankles together over his knee. She tried to squeeze her thighs together to lift herself off of his leg. Talus wrapped his arm around her waist and pushed her back down. He leaned in closer and pushed his body against hers. She shifted her hips pushing back against him, the action almost involuntary. She tried to stop herself but pressed herself hard against his thigh a second time.

She felt her skin flush and her lips part.

"Your body screams for me, Lenora."

Her chest heaved as she felt all of her muscles tighten. Her heart pounded in her chest so loud she thought he could hear it.

"That's revulsion," she tried to convince herself.

"You gave in to your passion once. You used your fear and your anger. You survived. You felt alive for the first time. Ever since that day this fire burned inside of you."

Talus pulled her body against his and she pushed back. He pulled her in closer still. She pressed herself harder against his thigh. Her fingernails dug into his chest and one of her hands slid up grabbing him by the shoulder.

"It's been tormenting you. Your lust drips from your body. I can see it. Everyone can see it. You are exposed to everyone around you. That is why you are here."

Lenora could sense the passion building in his body. The severity of his stare left, leaving only power and passion in his eyes.

"You couldn't give in so you came to here knowing you would be helpless before me. As the one who could take it from you, leaving you guilt-free."

Lenora closed her eyes. She pressed harder against his leg and dug her fingernails into his shoulders. Talus squeezed her tightly.

"Someone as strong as you couldn't give yourself to some common weakling. None of the Jedi eunuchs could satisfy you."

Talus pulled his lightsaber away from her throat. His other hand slid up her back grabbing a handful of hair pulling her head back. He leaned his face closer to hers. Her hands worked against each other, one pushing his chest away, the other pulling on his neck and shoulder.

"You counted on my cruelty to save you from yourself. I am the monster you think I am. And now I will show you my cruelty."

Talus' lightsaber went out. Lenora felt his leg pull away and quickly unlocked her ankles dropping to her feet. She pressed her back and palms against the wall waiting for what would come next.

Nothing happened. She opened her eyes to see Talus standing a just a few paces back staring at her, watching her squirm against the wall.

"I will not spare your conscience. You will give yourself to me willingly or leave."

Lenora stayed against the wall. She said nothing and made no movements except for her chest still rising and falling with every labored breath. The two stared at each other in silence. Talus turned his back to her and walked several steps into the apartment. Lenora stayed exactly where she was.

"Run back your Masters, little girl," he dismissed her as he turned a corner and disappeared into the apartment.

Lenora watched him leave. She took several deliberate breaths trying to calm her breathing. She wiped an arm across her forehead then pressed a hand against her chest feeling her heartbeat. Her other hand tried to pull her skirt back down. She slid down the wall bending her knees until she could reach her lightsaber then stood back up pressing the cold steel against her stomach. He wasn't coming back.

She walked towards the door to leave and opened it with one hand, looked back inside the apartment and with another exhale left.

Lenora didn't bother going back to the rented room and went straight to the docks to get on the ship. The pilot was already on board. Lenora stormed into the cockpit and found him with his feet up and hat pulled over his face. She kicked his feet off the console.

"Get up. Let's go," she barked.

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm not asleep. I was resting. What's eating you?"

"Nothing. Fly."

"Cranky, heh? All right. Let's go then. I take it you didn't get everything you wanted. Anything I can do for you?"

Lenora didn't answer. He wasn't expecting an answer - a real answer - but the silence piqued his curiosity. He felt her looking at him. He turned to look back at her surprised she was taking so long to answer. He raised an eyebrow as her lower jaw shifted and she bit down on her lower lip, sizing him up.

"Anything at all?" he added sensing something though not exactly sure what she was thinking about.

"Fly. Don't talk," she finally answered.

"Right. You just let me know," he offered, feeling like he must have just missed out on something. "Oh, and you got a message a little while ago."

"From who?" she asked excitedly.

"I don't know."

Lenora darted to a side computer and pulled up a set of coordinates and a message:

I KNOW WHERE YOUR JEDI IS. MEET ME ON BALMORRA IN THREE DAYS. BRING SAR'ON.


	17. To Balmorra

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

**To Balmorra**

Duros' starship had barely touched down before Lenora tapped out an emergency override code to pop the boarding ramp open from the outside. Duros was reaching to shut down the engines when the warning light on the front console indicated the open door. He stared confused at the alarm while Lenora rushed up into the cockpit.

"Master, please, we must hurry!"

"Hurry what?" he said swiveling his chair around away from the controls. Lenora swung the chair back around for him.

"We have to get to Balmorra, and fast. If we don't leave this instant we'll not make it in time."

"In time for what?" he asked with a sharpened tone.

"Please let's go, I'll tell you on the way. Please."

"Can't I at least let the Council know I've returned?"

"There's no time. You can use the Holo on the way. Hurry."

Duros took a deep breath. Lenora stared with earnest eyes. He relented and turned back to the controls.

"Only for you I do these things," he said.

Lenora grabbed him around the neck and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Yeah, yeah," he said playfully pushing her away. She dropped into the copilot's seat, then got up and smoothed out the Jedi robe under her and sat down more carefully.

"Do you mind telling me why I'm flying into what is quickly becoming a war zone?"

"I know where Master Sesh is. We have a chance to free him."

"How?" he asked, the mood suddenly changing more serious.

"I'll tell you everything, but don't you have to call the Council?"

Duros waited until the ship was off planet and prepared to enter hyperspace before calling the Council. He explained in detail the progress and results of his previous mission. When they finally asked him about his present whereabouts he looked to Lenora who quickly shook her head out of camera view. Holding her gaze he answered the Council with only, "I'm investigating a lead. It may be nothing. I'll report back as soon as I know for sure."

"Come back safely, Master Sar'on," was the final word.

Duros reviewed his navigation and checked on the distance traveled in hyperspace. When finished he leaned back in his chair looking at Lenora. She pretended not to notice him watching her.

"So," he started. "Mind telling me how you've come across this knowledge?"

"I have a contact," she said avoiding his eyes.

"A contact? And what does this contact tell you? You realize of course Master Sesh was no where near Balmorra?"

"I know, I mean, I didn't, but that doesn't matter. He's there now. So we can get him back."

Duros waited for more information but she offered nothing more. He finally noticed the robe.

"I've never seen you wear so much voluntarily. Are you feeling ok?"

"You always complain that I don't cover up enough. I thought I'd wear a little more. Now you're complaining about that. I can't win with you can I?"

"You're acting very strange, that's all. Are you going to fill me in or do I have to keep asking questions?"

"Honestly, I was hoping to keep stalling until we landed."

"Let's pretend we landed."

Lenora straightened herself in her chair holding her knees in her hands.

"Ok, but remember, this is all for Master Sesh."

"I remember."

"I mean can you imagine what he is going through right now?"

"You don't have to convince me of what's happening to him. I'm quite aware of a Jedi Master's fate in Sith hands."

"Ok."

"Now, Lenora." Duros' patience was at its end.

"OK, ok. I bumped into a former Sith Lord we both know."

"Bumped into? Tell me, were you on Nar Shaddaa when this bump occurred?"

"I was," she squeezed out through clenched teeth. Duros crossed his arms over his chest and just shook his head.

"I know, Master Sar'on, it was stupid. But I wanted to do something about it. So I went there. I thought he would want to get even with the Sith for what they did to him and would have reason to help us. And I was right!"

"This is a terrible idea, Lenora."

"I know. But can you believe I found him? It was the will of the Force. It has to be. We are meant to get Sesh free."

"I'm turning the ship around."

"No! You can't."

"I can."

"Please. At least hear him out."

"You cannot trust a Sith. At any time. For any reason."

"He helped us off Belmond."

Duros just shook his head again and said nothing.

"Look, just listen to the plan. If it sounds bad then we say no and leave. That's all. Think about Master Sesh, and who knows how many other Jedi may be with him."

"Don't try to guilt me."

"I'm sorry."

Duros exhaled loudly staring at the controls.

"Fine. I can't believe I'm doing this. I'll listen to this Sith."

"Ex-Sith."

"If he knows where there are Jedi being held and we can free them, then I will go along. I'm not promising anything."

"Thank you."

"This better be good, too."

"Thank you."

"And when this is over, you and I are going to have a long chat about how you spend your free time."

"Understood."

Duros and Lenora landed at a busy spaceport on Balmorra and exited together. There were lines of ships stretching off in both directions. Just outside of the row of docking bays was a walkway fully stocked with busy pedestrians.

"Well?" Duros asked. "I'm following you here. Which way?"

Lenora studied the surroundings and listened for another answer. She felt a familiar sensation followed by a picture.

"That way," she pointed and walked off briskly.

They walked through the port and out into the town. She moved quickly, picking her way through the busy marketplace stopping only rarely before abruptly changing direction. Duros stayed close behind her watching the people watching them. He felt no danger yet, but was not happy with this arrangement already. He knew she didn't have a clear destination. Someone was giving her the information telepathically. There were only two possibilities. Neither of them sounded good to him.

They stopped in front of what looked like an inn. They worked their way up to the second floor stopping in front of a room.

"He's in here. Room 206," she said. She knocked on the door marked 206. She didn't wait for a response and just opened it to walk in. Duros stopped her and walked in first.

He was greeted upon entering by Lord Talus. He was sitting casually on a couch centered in the room. Anise sat quietly in the corner behind the couch. Talus was wearing the dark gray armor and open black robe he wore at their first meeting.

"Master Sar'on, what a pleasure. I was starting to think you wouldn't come."

Lenora and Duros split up moving to opposite sides of the room.

"Let's skip the small talk. Master Sesh," Duros responded curtly.

"And Lenora, I find your outfit rather disappointing. I had hoped you would wear that cute little outfit you had on the other night."

Duros flashed an angry glare at Lenora. She mouthed the word 'no' with a disgusted look on her face.

"Master Sesh," Duros repeated louder.

"Yes, I see you are a man of action. Very well. He's a prisoner. If we succeed we can free him."

"Succeed at what?"

"There is a Sith Lord near here. When he is dead your Jedi is free. It seems my thirst for revenge is unquenchable," Talus said turning his gaze to Lenora.

"So this is the Sith that tried to have you killed on Belmond?"

"You are astute."

"And?" Duros asked. He was getting tired of pulling stories out of people.

"And what?"

"So what's this brilliant plan? The four of us charge the prison and kill everyone?"

"It's not quite that simple but yes, pretty much. You aren't squeamish about killing Sith and Imperial soldiers, are you?"

Duros ignored the question and sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Talus. Lenora leaned against the wall with her hands behind her back.

"Let's hear it. Be convincing. If I don't like it we're not going."

"That's fine Master Sar'on. You may come or not. It makes no difference to me. Either way satisfies my needs. It's a very simple plan. Brilliant plans usually are the simplest ones, don't you agree?" Talus asked Lenora. Duros answered him.

"You're about to run out of time."

"There is a shuttle nearby that is supposed to take a couple of Sith Acolytes back into this, command center, shall we say. We will take their place on the shuttle and fly in undetected.

"Once inside we split up. Lenora and Anise go first to secure the commanding officer, you and I head for the Sith Lord. I kill him. You kill his bodyguard or at least hold her off long enough for me to kill her Master. Anise kills everyone else. Then your Jedi is free and we leave. The end."

"Why don't we call the Jedi Council? They can send more Jedi…"

"There is no time. And we have enough with Anise."

"If Anise is enough then why does Lenora need to come?"

"Now that the two of you are here I've gotten, shall we say, all I need from her."

"I'm going," Lenora said ignoring Talus' innuendo. "Don't even try to stop me."

"Still if we go then someone will need to direct Anise. I'm not sure she could understand the requirements for the mission fully on her own," Talus summed up.

"There's too much you're not telling me. You're asking for an awful lot of trust. And I don't trust you at all," Duros said.

"I'm not asking for trust. Our interests are in line once again. Nothing more. My revenge for your Jedi's freedom."

Duros stared off in the distance thinking about the offer. He didn't like it.

"What about the Sith Acolytes? What happens when they come for their shuttle?" Lenora asked.

"Oh. They won't," Talus responded. "They're dead in the back room there," he said pointing with his thumb.

Lenora was surprised by how casually Talus was treating death. Duros was disgusted and seemed about to call the whole thing off.

"No is a perfectly valid response, Master Jedi."

"Oh? How does that 'satisfy your needs?'"

"Now that you're both here, if you refuse I can kill the only two people who know my true identity and location on Nar Shaddaa. Bonus, by killing you here, the Jedi will send people to Balmorra to investigate. I'll at least have more time to plot my revenge."

The room tensed immediately. Duros stayed seated but his hand moved ever so slightly closer to his weapon. Lenora stopped leaning against the wall and let her hands fall to her sides.

"Either way, Jedi. But we don't have much time. Choose quickly."

Duros' mind raced to find a third alternative. He watched Lenora's look of concern turn to panic as her throat clamped shut and she drifted up to the ceiling. He quickly realized Talus was not attacking. He looked behind the couch to see Anise now standing facing Lenora. He spun off the couch and lit his saber. He took one step toward Anise.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Talus said stopping Duros. "Unless your answer is no. Then by all mean, swing away."

Duros' face crumpled up in disgust as he could think of only one way out of this that would keep Lenora alive.

"Fine. We'll get your revenge and free the Jedi."

"Good" Talus said and slapped his hands across his thighs. He stood up as Lenora dropped back to the floor trying to catch her breath. Duros could only shake his head and exhale loudly at the whole situation.

Talus gathered up a pile of black robes and started for the door.

"This way," he ordered and walked out. Duros walked passed Lenora refusing to look at her. She tried to say she was sorry as he passed but didn't get the chance. She followed behind them. Anise vanished from sight but Lenora could feel her presence nearby.


	18. Shuttle Ride

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

**Shuttle Ride**

Lord Talus walked out in front of the group. His head was held high, his posture perfect. His height would have made it difficult to not be noticed but he made no effort to hide. His presence preceded him. Everyone gave him a wide berth. His quick pace created a breeze that lofted his robe out behind him.

Lenora stayed close behind him and off to his right. People were moving around her as well. It was a marked difference from on the way in when she had to pick through the crowd. Now the crowd found its way around her. She enjoyed the new balance of power. She kept her head high, looked straight ahead and conspicuously avoided eye contact with passersby as if they were beneath her notice.

Duros trailed further behind. He did not like the Sith going out of his way to intimidate people just going about their day. He was disgusted by Lenora strutting behind him.

The troop came to a shuttle and boarded. The four of them met up with two uniformed men, the pilot and his co-pilot.

"Hey, you can't come on this ship," the pilot addressed Talus. Talus ignored him and walked between the two men. Duros stepped closer to the pilot.

"We are your passengers. No one else is coming."

"I'm not flying you anywhere," the pilot informed him.

"Tell me pilot," Talus interrupted. "Do you know the correct codes to transmit that will allow you to dock as a Sith transport?"

"I'm not entering any codes for you," he insisted.

"Listen, you don't have any choice," Duros tried again.

"I believe you," Talus said. Then a flash of red light dropped the pilot in two pieces on the floor.

Duros immediately stepped between Talus and the co-pilot. Talus ignored Duros' presence.

"I certainly hope you know those codes," he said to the co-pilot talking over Duros. "Otherwise, you're no use to me at all."

"Yes! I do!" the terrified co-pilot answered.

Duros glared hard at Talus.

"We don't have time to negotiate, Sar'on." He motioned to the cockpit. "Perhaps you would like to play co-pilot?"

Lenora dropped into a seat with her mouth open wide. Duros put a hand on the co-pilot's shoulder and pushed him towards the cockpit staring into Talus' eyes as he passed.

"Let's go, before anyone else here gets killed."

Talus flipped a black robe to Duros as he passed. He snapped it out of the air and moved to the front of the shuttle. Talus held a second black robe out to Lenora. She seemed unaware of the gesture. Her focus was on the dead pilot, her mouth still open but now covered by one hand.

"Your robe, Jedi," Talus said.

Lenora stirred and stared hard into his eyes.

"How many Imperial soldiers have you killed?" Talus asked her.

"None like that," she answered.

"Dead, is dead. Put this on. You're going to have to pass for a Sith for a least a little while or we'll all be just as dead."

Lenora reluctantly took the robe from him. She turned her back on the pilot's remains and slipped off her Jedi robe. She spent a moment finding the top of the Sith robe. She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled it on. The material was softer yet heavier than the Jedi robe she was accustomed to. Her hands worked their way through the folds. She tried to place the material but she couldn't come up with an answer.

Lenora looked around to find a reflective surface. She found a polished metal area nearby and was able to get an idea of her appearance. She felt warmed under the weight of the black robe though she didn't notice feeling cold before.

"The robe suits you," Talus said, his voice reminding her of his presence. "Much more natural, if you ask me."

Lenora immediately stopped fussing with the robe and her reflection.

"I didn't."

"Be a darling please, and see if you could do something with her hair," Talus said while pointing to Anise.

Lenora's brow crinkled.

"Fix it yourself. Do I look like a nursemaid?"

"No. I was going to dispose of the body before it starts leaking on the floor. But if you prefer that job…" Talus' voice trailed off.

"Fine," she said as she crossed the room and scooped Anise off the floor nearly tossing her into the air. Gathering Anise back into her hands she carried her across the room at arm's length marveling at how light she was.

She dropped back into a seat and stood Anise on the floor between her knees. Talus dragged the two halves of the pilot into a different area of the shuttle. After several tries Lenora was able to tuck most of Anise's hair in one ponytail pushed down her back and the inside of her robe. With the hood raised no hair was visible and her face was mostly covered.

Talus returned to the center of the shuttle as it lifted off. He saw Anise's hood up and nodded approval.

"People are going to notice she's kind of short," Lenora said. "Maybe you could tuck her under your robe."

Talus ignored her comment and walked to the cockpit. He took a seat behind Duros.

"You didn't mention the prison was on a capital ship," Duros barked at him.

"I didn't, did I?"

"I guess this is a little more than a move for revenge."

"Once again, you are very astute."

"I'm going to need a little more than one Jedi. I want them all out."

"I won't have that power even if we succeed. Nor would I give that to you if I could."

"I'd hate to lose my concentration in the middle of a fight worrying about how many Jedi I will be leaving in Sith prisons."

"You will have Master Sesh and Lenora lives. That should be enough."

"I'll give you five names. I want to know where they are and I want to see them."

"Give me the names and I will give you the false names that we are keeping them under. Your diplomats can work out something from there. That is all. I'm not negotiating. You've already over played your hand."

The shuttle continued its climb into orbit. The co-pilot was getting calmer with each passing moment because of Duros' presence, even with a Sith Lord sitting near. Duros turned around to look Talus in the eye. Talus' eyebrows raised and he leaned back. Duros looked away.

"I suppose there's not much point in telling you to leave her alone?" Duros said to Talus.

"She came to me, Jedi. If you have no faith in your teachings then lock her up."

"That's not…" Duros started but fell silent.

"She's much too young for you Master Sar'on. Really, you could be her grandfather."

"Don't be crude. That's not what I mean."

Duros shifted in his chair.

"'Grandfather' is a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"

The co-pilot was comfortable enough to answer, "Maybe a little but still…"

Duros' stare snapped the co-pilot's focus back on the controls.

"Let's just say, _Lord Talus_, I'm getting sick of seeing you."

"And I of you, Jedi. If I have my way this will be the last time we meet."

"Actually, I'm hoping to see you one more time after this."

"You seem to be taking this very personally. Are your teachings failing you? It's very un-Jedi-like behavior."

"I've seen you kill in cold blood, order assassinations. Now you're blackmailing me to help you. It's not personal. It's justice. And it will find you one day. By my hand or another's."

"Let's hope for Lenora's sake it isn't today. If I die neither of you will make it off that ship alive."

"If she dies, neither will you."

The two warriors sized each other up. Talus couldn't help but let a smirk widen on his face. The co-pilot tried to concentrate on flying but the tension had forced him over to one side of his chair as his body tried to create as much space between him and the Sith.

Lenora walked to the cockpit when she felt the shuttle going into orbit.

"Where are we going?" she asked the room.

"It seems our prisoner is on an Imperial Destoyer," Duros answered.

Lenora's eyes widened and she placed a hand against the wall.

"We're storming a capital ship? Just the four of us?"

"Yes," Talus answered. "But mostly you. The Jedi Master and I will go to kill the Sith Lord and his lackey. You are going to take Anise and seize the bridge."

Lenora tried to get Duros to say something but he ignored her and kept watch on the instruments in front of him.

"With the peace treaty in place, the crew will not be on high alert. You'll be able to get very close to the bridge without much of a problem. Once you are close however they will try to identify you. Then the fighting will begin.

"Keep Anise between you and whoever is trying to kill you. No matter how aloof she may seem she will always defend herself. Let her do most of the fighting.

"There won't be a lot of guards so there shouldn't be too much danger at first. You have to get into the bridge and seize the commanding officer. Tell him I am on board and order him to stand down. He will obey you at that point. Stay next to him until you hear from me."

"This is nuts. How do we get off?" She spoke to Duros again and again he did not acknowledge her.

"If we succeed, it will be easy," Talus answered.

"And if we fail?"

"We all die."

Lenora put her head down and stood silent.

"What's your chances of defeating this Sith Lord? I mean if you can't do that then all of this is useless."

Talus' jaw clenched. He stood up and stared into Lenora's eyes. She backed up against the wall though Talus made no move towards her.

"Listen. There is no plan B. There are no reinforcements. There are no extraction units. No one is coming to our rescue. This is real life. You want to play warrior, then now is your chance. We each have a job. We get one shot. If any one of us fails we all die. Do you understand?"

Lenora nodded. Talus sat back down in his chair.

"Your job is just as critical as ours. What's most important is that you are discovered before Master Sar'on and I are. You are to draw the primary support troops to your area. That will allow us to get to the Sith's chambers before he scurries away and hides like the coward he is."

"Master Sar'on?" Lenora prodded, hoping for an encouraging word or a suggestion on a different course.

"This is your show, Lenora. I'm following you. Remember, I said we turn around."

"I remember."

#

The Destroyer came into view once the shuttle cleared the Balmorran atmosphere. It was gradually getting larger until the ship filled the entire viewing window from the cockpit. As it approached the hanger bay the radio from the dashboard came alive. Computers signaled each other across the closing gap between vessels.

A computerized voice rose from the console "Transport Codes expired - hold for security officer."

Lenora looked to Talus immediately. He was focused on the co-pilot.

"Relax," the co-pilot said. "We're just a little late. This happens a lot. It's no big deal."

Talus leaned forward getting very close to the co-pilot.

"It better not be."

A new human voice replaced the previous computer.

"Security Officer to shuttle 24-40."

"Copy, Security Officer. This is Captain Davies, Shuttle 24-40."

"Your shuttle is 3.36 standard hours late. Please explain."

"Your time is correct Security Officer. Please note the identity of my transport. I believe that may explain being late."

"I see. You have two Sith Acolytes as passengers."

"Right. There's Imperial time and there's Sith time."

"I think we've all been there at one time or another. Can't exactly show them a watch, can we?"

"Not if you want to make it back in one piece," he laughed into the console then the sight of Talus wiped the smile from his face.

"Ok, Captain Davies. Maintain course. We'll send out a probe droid to scan your ship on the way in. Keep this channel open in case we need to hail you again."

"Copy. Shuttle 24-40 out."

"Security out."

The co-pilot exhaled. "See, no big deal."

The shuttle drifted into the Destroyer's hanger bay. No one on board spoke until it touched down. Outside the shuttle ground crews were busy refueling other shuttles and moving cargo around and other routine tasks. No one suspected two Jedi Knights, a banished Sith Lord, and an Evanni alien waited inside.

Duros escorted the co-pilot to another area of the ship. He agreed to be tied up and gagged until they return or send someone to get him. It was the happy alternative to Talus' lightsaber.

Lenora stood at the top of the loading ramp. Her heart pounded against her chest. She was starting to feel sick.

"You are the key to this Lenora. You must make it passed the other Sith and soldiers milling around the hanger. If you are discovered here we're finished."

Lenora refused eye contact but she listened eagerly to every word.

"When you move through people, do so as royalty moving among peasants. Project your contempt for them as go. Do not regard them as sentient beings. Any who do not show proper reverence for you, blast them into the bulkhead. That will attract less attention than allowing the insult to pass. Show no fear. When you at last strike - strike always to kill, for they will do the same to you. Do not hesitate. If you fail we all die with you. Do you understand?"

Lenora's eyes raised up to his. He stepped closer to her. She stayed put and raised her head to hold his gaze. He grabbed her around the waist with both arms and kissed her hard on the mouth. She fought furiously against him pushing and kicking while he wrestled to keep her close. When he released his grip she pushed back away from him and landed a solid punch on his jaw. The impact knocked him back half a step.

Duros entered the room just in time to see the punch. Lenora wiped her face and mouth on her sleeve. He could infer what preceded it.

Lenora slammed the controls to lower the ramp then shoved Anise out in front of her and stormed down the loading ramp. Talus could feel the hostility in Duros standing behind him. He kept watching her walk out of the ship and through the hanger.

"She projected so much fear I was choking on it. Now she's angry enough to pass for a Sith for more than ten steps."

He looked over his shoulder at Duros. He was no less hostile.

"It was for the mission. Get over it."


	19. Storming the Destroyer

** CHAPTER NINETEEN**

**Storming the Destroyer**

Lenora moved quickly down the ramp. She pulled the black robe's hood up over her head and worked her ponytail away from her face and behind her back. Her strides filled the lower part of her robe with air and it flared out behind her. Men standing around the bottom of the ramp scrambled out of her way. Soldiers broke formation to avoid crossing her path.

Anise hopped and skipped along behind her staying close.

The uniforms on the personnel changed as she left the loading dock. These were not the common soldiers or Sith that she was accustomed to seeing. These were administrators, mechanics, techs. Servants equipped with slave collars scurried away from her. Conversations stopped abruptly as she passed. Heads turned away from her eyes.

She could sense eyes following Anise as they passed by. She tried to compensate for her by projecting aggression. She followed the path Talus showed her to the step. One last turn would get her to the elevator she needed.

She stopped in front of it just as the door opened and two soldiers started to exit. She pulled her hood a little further over her face and waited for them to leave. She remembered Talus' words and decided instead to force herself on. The first soldier was clear but the second had to throw himself against the side of the elevator trying to avoid physical contact. Lenora pulled Anise into the back corner and turned front ignoring the soldier. He tried to apologize to Lenora but she Force Pushed him out into the corridor. People nearby watched him roll across the hallway, then turned back to their conversations.

The door closed and the elevator inquired of her destination.

"Bridge Level," she announced to the computer.

She felt the elevator start to move. She put her hands on top of her head with her fingers interlocked and took deep breaths trying to slow her heartbeat. A tear tickled her cheek.

The elevator stopped too soon to be the bridge. She dropped her arms back to her sides as the door opened and a high ranking officer boarded. He announced the same destination. She tried to position herself between the officer and Anise.

The officer turned to her and bowed, "Greetings, my lord." She ignored him. He started back to an upright position but hesitated ever so slightly when he saw Anise. She was sliding her fingers along the wall tracing out the grooves decorating the lower half of the elevator, whispering in her native tongue. Lenora tugged at the shoulder of Anise's robe but she was undeterred.

"May I have the pleasure of an introduction, my Lord?"

"No," she answered as gruffly as she could muster. The officer turned back to the front.

"Forgive me," the officer said and typed busily on a datapad he held in his hand.

#

Talus and Duros stood at the top of the ramp. Duros dropped off his Jedi robe and put on the black Sith robe. He pulled the hood up to cover his face. Talus did the same.

"Anything I need to know about this 'lackey?'" Duros asked.

"Sith Marauder. Single hilt. She is probably the most ferocious fighter you're ever faced in your lifetime. Be prepared for anything. Don't do anything stupid like get killed on the first blow. I need at least a minute or two."

Duros grunted a short laugh and looked back out of the shuttle.

"Something on your mind, Jedi?"

"Just more Sith hypocrisy, that's all."

"How is that, exactly?"

"For all your faith in the darkside, isn't it ironic that when you finally make a move against your Master, it's a Jedi you want at your side."

"Not to shake your confidence at this critical time, but I know about a dozen Sith I'd rather have at my side. Sith politics being what it is, it's easy to miscalculate and end up dead. There's only one Jedi I could think of and his motivation is clear. Much easier to see all the angles."

"Master Sesh," Duros replied.

Now Talus grunted out a short laugh.

"Master Sesh? That's just what you'll tell your Jedi Council. We both know why you're really here."

"Let's just get this over with."

Talus peered out of the shuttle.

"She must be on the elevator by now. No alarms yet. We're off to a good start. Let's go."

Talus strode down the loading ramp. There was a marked contrast in people's reaction to him and what Lenora witnessed. People cleared a path at the sight of Lenora mistaking her for a Sith. No one moved out of Talus' path because there was no one in his path by the time he got close. It was as if his aura had left the ship in advance and cleared a path. The dread of the dark side surrounded him like an invisible cloud infusing fear into anyone in contact with it.

Soldiers that broke ranks to avoid Lenora snapped to attention and parted a path with perfect military precision. Servants that couldn't make themselves disappear dropped to the floor. Officers bowed from afar.

Talus' face was obscured by the hood but his stature was unmistakable. Duros could feel the recognition on some of the soldiers passing by. He suspected many had already figured out who this Sith was. He hoped no one would raise an alarm or warn whoever it was Talus was coming for.

They started out on the same path Lenora and Anise used to leave the hanger but then moved to a different platform that would take them to the Lord's chambers. They were both waiting to hear the same thing. An alarm.

#

The elevator reached the bridge level. Lenora's mind was racing and her adrenaline rushed through her body, her muscles tensed.

When the doors opened the officer moved out of her way allowing her to exit first. She stepped out dragging Anise by the shoulder and was stopped in front of another officer flanked by eight soldiers, four on each side. Each had their rifles in hand but pointed them at the floor.

"Authorized personnel only on this level. Please identify yourself," the new officer said.

Lenora pulled Anise in front of her and pressed her against her stomach. She kept her left hand on Anise's shoulder and used her to block her movements as her right hand slid inside her robe and gripped her saber hilt.

The other officer stepped off the elevator and stood directly behind her.

Lenora pulled her lightsaber. Two streaks of blue light flashed in opposite directions. One streak traveled through the chest of the officer standing behind her. The soldiers all clamored to get their weapons up. The officer standing between them turned to run. Lenora ducked down behind Anise. She heard one shot ricochet into the wall before a crackle of Force Lightning dropped all of the soldiers to the floor. Lenora gripped the fleeing officer with the Force and pulled him backwards through the air towards her and stopped him on the end of her saber.

She shoved his dying body aside, grabbed Anise by the hand and ran down the hallway toward the bridge. Alarms rang throughout the ship. Non-military staff scattered and disappeared into side rooms and down corridors away from her.

Several soldiers popped out of a doorway to see what the commotion was about a moment before she passed it. One swing from her saber cut them all down.

She felt a shot coming from behind her. She ducked and felt it whistle passed her ear. A second shot deflected off her saber. She turned and started to close the distance with her attackers but stopped when she felt more soldiers firing from the opposite direction. She ducked under the shots and tried to press herself low against a doorway out of the line of sight of the blaster fire that was hitting the wall all around her dropping sparks and bits of metal over her head. Anise plopped down and sat next to her.

She could hear footsteps of more soldiers reinforcing the first group. Lenora dropped her saber and pulled two blaster rifles from the dead soldiers into her hands. Holding one in each hand she returned fire in both directions. Her first shot with each weapon found a target. The remaining shots were more random but the return fire slowed down as soldiers ducked and tried to escape the bolts heading their way.

Lenora dropped one rifle, grabbed Anise by the shoulder and flung her at one group of soldiers. She spun around and dashed towards the other using her own hail of blaster fire as cover until she was in range for her saber.

Another flash of blue light cut through a line of soldiers. Only the last one had time to pull a vibrosword and defend her melee assault. He tried to counter. Lenora slid under his attack and dropped him in two pieces on the floor.

The group of soldiers fired at Anise while she was still airborne from Lenora's toss. She blocked several bolts in her hands. When she landed she Force Pulled the rifles out of their hands. She gripped all five soldiers simultaneously and lifted them off the ground and crushed the life from their bodies.

Lenora ran back down the corridor snatching Anise off the ground as she passed her. The soldiers' bodies dropped to the floor. Two more soldiers appeared in her path one at a time as she ran toward the bridge only to be instantly cut down.

And then there was quiet. The hallways remained empty. There was a distinct lack of activity in the last few seconds. In the initial chaos soldiers were just appearing in the corridor to see what was happening allowing her to catch them by surprise. Even the groups she encountered were disorganized. This temporary reprieve was going to end with much more structured and disciplined attacks.

Lenora peeked around a corner and could see the bridge entrance surrounded by a dozen or so troops being organized by a single uniformed officer. She took a brief moment to rest and think of a way to get onto the bridge.

#

Talus and Duros continued their journey toward the Sith's chambers. They took an elevator but only part of the way. Talus didn't want to raise suspicion or get caught on an elevator that could be disabled and sealed.

Their pace quickened at the sound of a general alarm. The groups of soldiers they passed were getting larger and moved very quickly towards lifts and transports.

"She must be at the bridge by now," Talus said turning back toward Duros. "We must strike now before she is killed."

The two started to run. The corridors they tracked through changed in style. The lighting darkened and took on a menacing red hue. They no longer passed soldiers or any Imperial personnel. They only passed cloaked or robed figures. They did not stop to interact. The lesser Sith allowed them space to pass.

The corridor ended at a pair of double doors guarded by a half dozen guards dressed in red robes wielding electrostaffs.

Talus and Duros stopped running but continued moving towards them. The guards moved into an attack formation spreading out three on each side with weapons pointed forward. Duros walked faster to get even with Talus. They moved shoulder to shoulder toward the guards.

On silent cue both men pulled their lightsabers and attacked them. The first attack of each started at the exact same moment. There was some unspoken competition as each tried to finish off his side of the hallway before the other. The battle was very brief and ended when the last two guards fell to the ground at the same time, one on the end of a red saber, the other on the end of a blue.

They acknowledged the tie. Talus moved to the doors and opened them. They stepped into a large hollow room. The walls formed a near perfect rectangle on three sides, the fourth, the far wall was rounded and had a throne in the circle implied by the wall. The chair was empty. Their footsteps echoed in the room as they walked.

"I knew you would come," a voice, rasping and deep echoed into the room and drowned out the footsteps. "Sooner than I expected, however."

The second sentence helped them to pin down the source. There were several pillars along the sides of the room to support so vast a ceiling. Out from behind one near the rounded end a cloaked figure stepped into view.

He wore simple robes, dark gray with a hood pulled up over his head casting a shadow over his face. Yellow eyes glowed out from under the hood. At his side walked a woman, much taller than he was. She wore silver armor with spikes protruding from her shoulders, elbows, and the tops of her knees. The armor clanged as she walked, the red light reflected off of her faceless helmet.

Duros pulled off his black robe and dropped it on the floor. He and Talus continued their advance toward Vuull but they started to spread away from each other.

"Master Vuull," Talus answered. "After your treachery, it seems I have nothing left to learn from you. I have come to end my apprenticeship."

The woman at Vuull's side crossed in front of him and moved toward Duros. She stopped a few feet in front of Duros blocking further progress. Talus continued closing the gap with Vuull.

"It seems I have one more lesson to teach you, Lord Talus."


	20. To the Death

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

**To the Death**

Lenora sat on the floor with her back pressed against the metal wall listening to the officer preparing his troops to defend the bridge entrance. Anise was standing next to her looking off into the distance. They still had the element of surprise. The soldiers were not ready for a fight and she could hear several of them loading their weapons. But time was not on their side.

"Are you ready?" Lenora asked Anise.

"I'm hungry," she answered.

"Well get ready. There are a lot of people trying to kill you."

Lenora took Anise by the hand and stepped around the corner in full view of the soldiers. On the officer's command they opened fire. Lenora ducked behind Anise as energy burst from her hands sending out a sphere of light. The blaster fire deflected off of it into the walls. Again sparks and chips of metal rained down on her. The blaster fire slowed as fear swept through the soldiers. Lenora waited for the shots to slow down and then dashed out from behind Anise and charged into the center of the soldiers. She deflected a few shots on the way in and with only a few acrobatic swings cut down all the soldiers leaving only the officer trembling in front of her.

She kicked him in the chest sending him crashing against the wall. He bounced off of it and landed on his hands and knees coughing and gasping for air. She left him on the floor and quickly went to retrieve Anise who had started to wander the other way down the hallway.

With Anise in one hand and her saber in the other she used her boot to push the officer up into a kneeling position.

"Please, don't kill me," he begged her.

"Open the doors. Now," she ordered.

"Emergency lock down, I don't have the codes, please."

"Open it!" she shouted.

She could hear soldiers grouping up in formation just out of sight. She heard muffled orders and the clanging equipment of dozens of soldiers.

"NOW," she yelled as she pushed hard with her boot knocking him flat on his back. More soldiers were coming from the other direction. Again she could hear them checking equipment and shouting orders. The groups were coordinating their next attack.

The officer held out his arms with palms facing up.

"Please, I have a family, I don't have the codes."

The soldiers stopped rustling around. The sudden quiet meant only they were ready to attack.

Lenora swung her saber cutting off the officer's left arm at the elbow. He squealed and tried to get further away from her but was already on the ground and pressed against the wall.

She let go of Anise and grabbed him by the shoulder, lifted him off the ground and slammed him face first against the controls. She held her blade against the side of his neck.

"You can either open the door or you're no use to me at all."

The officer used his trembling hand to type into the door control panel. The doors to the bridge slid open.

Lenora shoved Anise onto the bridge with her foot. Only a few soldiers were inside and she killed each one that fired at her.

Lenora dragged the officer through the door and slammed him against the controls on the inside. He typed on the pad again and the doors shut. Lenora let him fall to the ground then ran her lightsaber through the controls.

She turned from the door to look over the bridge. It was a full fifty yards to the front where the captain stood. All the marines that were on the bridge were dead. All that was left was the crew that sat silently in their chairs. She walked confidently toward the captain.

More than fifty crewmen watched in confusion as this young woman in a Sith robe, carrying a Jedi's saber, with an Evanii in tow, walked passed them.

"I am here with Lord Alek Talus. You will order your men to stand down," she ordered the captain. He didn't answer.

"Lord Talus, you say?" a voice from behind her said. "How interesting."

A Sith Inquisitor shrouded with black and purple robes stood exactly on the path Lenora had just crossed. She turned to face him. He studied her and then said to the captain, "You may give that order, captain."

The captain left quickly and moved to issue his orders. The alarms throughout the ship stopped. The Inquisitor moved closer to Lenora. She pushed Anise towards him. He only stroked her hair as he walked around her.

"The Masters on Dromund Kaas have a saying for futile actions, such as a Jedi boarding a Sith vessel, for example," he said to Lenora softly. "What was it again? 'It's like swinging a sword at an Evanii.'"

He smiled knowingly at Lenora. A long saber hilt slid from his sleeve into his right hand. Two violet blades of light slid from each end of the hilt. He twirled a quick display and then stood in an exact mirror of Lenora's position.

"Good-bye, Jedi," he said. Lenora could sense the surge of dark energy animate his body. She looked at Anise. Her face had become blank and lifeless. She braced herself for battle with the Sith alone, again.

#

Talus charged Darth Vuull striking at him with his saber. He defended with a burst of energy that knocked Talus to the ground but not back as far as he hoped. Talus knew this would be his defense and braced against the attack. The burst of Vuull's defense left him temporarily unable to follow up with a second Force attack.

Talus leapt back to his feet and was still in striking range with his saber. Vuull pulled his saber out to defend himself. Talus struck furiously at Vuull trying to keep this a saber duel where he had the advantage. Vuull needed to concentrate his power in the Force to defend and could not counter Talus' assault.

Duros circled the faceless Sith staring through his blue saber, she stared back through red.

"You know, this really isn't our fight," Duros explained. "We could stay out of it. I don't have to kill you."

"Yes," a distorted voice hissed from behind the mask, "you do."

She attacked Duros with her lightsaber. The attack was hard but not too sudden. Duros moved easily into position to block the attack. It was common for opponents to feel each other out for a few seconds. But his saber deflected only air. She had suddenly changed direction and attacked from the complete opposite direction. Duros barely recovered in time to catch her saber with his. The suddenness of the attack and its force knocked him off balance. He tracked her saber across his body keeping them close together.

She drove her shoulder into his chest. A single spike pierced under his collar bone, passed behind it and emerged from the top of his shoulder.

Duros launched himself up and backwards lifting himself off her spike before she had a chance to pull the bone from his body.

She was on top of him again before he even touched the ground with a series of saber strikes he could block but not counter. Just as quickly as the flurry started it stopped and she moved away from him. She circled just out of striking distance.

Duros could feel the front of his shirt wet against his skin. He felt the blood running down the front of his chest almost to his waist, staining his shirt red. He measured the distance between him and his opponent but he already knew she was far too close to try a Force Heal. He was bleeding heavily. He knew he would not last long and needed to end this fight quickly.

#

Talus drove Vuull back with wide, strong attacks. His smaller opponent could barely keep up with the power of his attacks but he sensed Vuull's power return. Talus pressed the attack harder. Vuull continued to defend knowing Talus could not keep the pace long.

Talus sensed he lost the advantage and pulled back into defense. Immediately Vuull unleashed a torrent of Force Lightning. Talus blocked with his saber in front directing the energy away from his body but he could not stop so much energy. Small sparks jumped off his saber into his armored chest. The shocks sent surges of pain through his body. He ignored the pain and charged through the purple light, the arcs of light licked at his back as his saber cut through the streams and sliced at Vuull.

Vuull stepped back away from Talus' swing. The energy disappeared and Vuull seized Talus by the throat with the Force and drove him forwards, slamming him face first into the wall behind him. He landed on his feet and dropped to one knee trying to regain his senses.

Duros stepped quickly into the Sith with a stabbing attack she parried. Their sabers slapped together over head. Duros powered the saber lock down onto her left side. She accepted the invitation and leaned forward to attack with her armor again. Duros let go of the saber lock and spun an attack. She ducked and rolled forward as his saber burned sparks across her back.

He attacked again before she could completely get back on her feet. He had an advantage through another brief series of strikes before she struck the ground and a surge of energy burst out in all directions, launching Duros backwards through the air.

She charged a Lightning attack at him while prone in mid-air. He didn't bother to defend himself instead launching his saber at her throat.

The Lightning tore into his body and sent him further away from the Sith. She saw his saber spin out of the purple light at the last possible second. She got her saber up and made contact with the blue blade but the spin carried it around her saber.

It struck hard against the side of her face slicing through her helmet and rolled up the side of her head vaporizing flesh and scorching bone black. Duros' saber fell to the ground behind her. She fell to her knees screaming and clutching at her face.

Duros skidded to a halt and looked up to see her drop. He focused all his power on Force Heal. He meditated lying on the ground and tried to focus all the energy on his shoulder trying to at least close the wound.

Talus shook off the impact and attacked Vuull again. After several quick strokes the two locked sabers. Vuull pushed their sabers down to one side. Talus let go with one hand and backhanded Vuull across the face. The blow knocked the hood off his head exposing his red skin. Blood trickled down his face where Talus struck him but it was Talus' blood. The sharp bony protrusion over his eye had gouged the flesh from his hand.

Talus shoved Vuull away from him and checked over his shoulder. He saw both Duros and his opponent down. He charged at Vuull again but was struck by a telekinetic attack that blasted him off his feet. Vuull followed up with Force Lightning. Talus tried to absorb it into his hand but the arcs escaped his grasp and ravaged his body. His lightsaber skipped across the floor and his body contorted into evil forms as muscles randomly contracted. The pain left his body in a guttural scream.

Duros' body healed as he meditated prone. He felt the wound close and some of his strength return to his arm. The Sith's screams turned into a snarl when she looked up and saw him meditating silently. Her pain fueled her rage and she charged at Duros with a ear splitting war cry. He heard the change of her screams and broke his meditation. He summoned his lightsaber back into his hand.

Duros backed away from the charging Sith. His saber rushed towards him through the air, passing over her head, and ignited in his hand just in time to parry her blows.

She rained saber strikes down much harder and faster than before. He could not keep up and jumped backwards to put some distance between them. The Sith launched herself at him. Their bodies tangled together in the air and they landed together with Duros on his back. The spikes on her armor punctured his torso and thighs.

She pushed the spikes further into his body. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back but the burnt skin just peeled away. She plunged her face into his neck and tore his flesh away in her teeth.

Duros shoved her off him and jumped to his feet. She spit the piece of flesh at his face. Again she slashed ferociously at him with her saber. He couldn't keep up with her. He tried to Force Push her away. She slashed through his exposed arm and continued more attacks.

Duros blocked several more of her attacks before he could fully realize the extent of his injury. The Sith abruptly stopped her assault and walked out of striking range. She let Duros feel the full brunt of the pain from his severed arm.

One more slash knocked Duros' saber from his hand. Then she kicked him in chest knocking him flat on his back. She stood over him snarling and seething with rage.

#

Lenora gripped her double-bladed lightsaber firmly and waited for the Sith to initiate the duel. His body moved slowly around hers to pick his most comfortable distance and his own double-blade flipped randomly in quick circles. Lenora stayed her ground and only changed her direction to stay square to him. She felt dozens of sets of eyes on her as crew members lifted from their seats to watch the two Force users battle. The Sith seemed to relish the idea of an audience using the sudden twists of his saber to stoke their anticipation.

Lenora's mind recalled her battle on Belmond. She felt her emotions start to rise. Like that day there would be no rescuer. She tried to push them aside as nothing more than a distraction, all but the hate for the Sith.

The Sith attacked with a flurry of strikes. Lenora defended each until he retreated out of range. She was surprised at how easily she defended the assault. She had so rarely sparred against someone using the double-bladed saber she had no idea what to expect. The Sith launched a second volley. Though it forced Lenora to step out of her position she felt very confident defending his blows.

She wondered if this was a tactic he was using to lull her into complacency for the real assault to follow. If so he was selling it well. She felt his own anger swell with his failure.

She let him launch a new volley of saber strikes. She moved carefully to stay close so she could test his sincerity. After his final blow stopped against her saber and he started to step back Lenora skipped forward and planted a kick centered into his chest. The impact knocked him backwards. He flailed his arms wildly as it took all he could muster to not drop onto his backside.

Once he regained his balance he threw himself at Lenora, his face distorted with rage. She stepped to the side and allowed their sabers to lock together. He used his strength to force their lock to her side. Lenora let go of her saber with one hand and backhanded the Sith across his face. She followed up with a big swing with her saber the Sith blocked but took the full brunt from a back kick to the jaw that knocked him completely off his feet.

Lenora flipped over his desperate swing at her ankles. She pounced on the Sith just as he reached his feet. The sabers hissed and crackled as they slid together. She let him get behind her as they grappled and waited for him to try to use his superior position. He pulled their saber lock close to her body. She placed her arms carefully so the blades could not touch her body then threw a front kick over her own shoulder, smashing the Sith's nose. His eyes closed tight. She used the sabers to pull down on his upper body and stuck her hip in his midsection flipping him forward onto his back. She pulled her saber free and tried to drive it through his chest. He scrambled to his feet as Lenora burned a black spot into the floor.

"Enough," he spat at her while regaining his feet.

Lenora swung her saber around mimicking his earlier moves. He raised a hand. She felt the Force surge in his body and braced for an attack with Force Lightning.

Instead the muscles around her neck burned as her throat was crushed closed tight. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened involuntarily and gasped for air. She tried to swing her saber at him but he was outside her range and the grip prevented her from moving forward.

Her lungs burned from the built-up carbon dioxide her body tried desperately to expel. Panic set in as her legs started to weaken from the lack of oxygen. She tried to Force Push him away but he ignored the feeble attack. She dropped her lightsaber and clawed frantically at her neck as she slipped down onto her knees.

Lenora reached out to Anise and fell onto her stomach. She heard the Sith walk towards her, his saber hummed louder in her ear at his approach.

"You fool," he said to her with contempt.

Lenora raised her head and looked at Anise. Lenora could not speak. She called to Anise through the Force, '_I am dying. I need you.'_

Anise stared back at Lenora and blinked. Then she crawled on the floor toward something on the ground that caught her eye.


	21. All Battles End

**CHAPTER TWENTY ONE**

**All Battles End**

Talus stretched himself out on the floor. Every nerve ending in his body screamed with pain. The Force attack had ended but the pain took longer to subside. Darth Vuull would let him recover. A quick death was not one of the possible outcomes for Talus.

"Did you truly believe you could defeat me?" Vuull asked incredulously.

Talus tried to push the pain away to call to Anise. Vuull let out a satisfied sound when he saw his apprentice approach dragging the semi-conscious Jedi by one leg. She dropped Duros near Talus and took a position standing over him.

Talus rolled onto his hands and knees but made no effort to stand. He focused on his bond with Anise. He opened the bond fully. He sent his pain to her.

The bridge was silent as everyone was watching Lenora die. The quiet gasp from Anise may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

"By all means," Darth Vuull said to Talus, "prepare yourself."

Talus called to Anise through the Force, '_Anise, I am dying. I need you.'_ He funneled his pain across their bond, his hate, his anger, his fear.

The pain bent Anise over. Her eyes danced around in all directions as she tried to find a way to stop it. She groaned loudly. Confusion swept the bridge as eyes bounced between Lenora on the floor and Anise who had spontaneously started to stagger from some unknown stimulus.

"I am most curious," Darth Vuull continued, "How did you manage to get a Jedi Master to assist you? Feel free to explain with your dying screams."

Vuull and his apprentice exchanged a glance that served as a cue. They both unleashed Lightning attacks but not meant to kill, only to inflict the most pain a body could feel.

Talus didn't try to defend himself. He used what power he could muster to keep the bond with Anise strong. He let the pain ravage his body until the agony grew so great he thought his bones were breaking. All he could do was scream.

Anise buckled to the ground and matched Talus' cries. The sudden high pitched squeal startled the entire bridge.

Some crew members dropped back to their controls, many covered their ears to protect them from damage.

The Sith lost his grip on Lenora's throat momentarily. It allowed her to take one quick breath before he clamped it shut again.

Darth Vuull and his apprentice stopped their respective attacks. Talus laid on the floor. Smoke rose from his clothes, his gray armor riddled with black dots. He rolled onto his stomach and managed to get partway up to his knees before his strength failed him.

_Anise_ he called out.

Anise's head snapped up the instant the assault stopped. She moved slowly into a standing position. Her hair fell away from her face revealing two glowing yellow eyes. Dark energy swirled around her forming a thin black pulsating cloud that passed through her. Her body surged with power, touching everyone on the bridge with the Dark Side. It overflowed across her bonds with Talus.

Talus felt the power surge in him through his bond. He directed it to heal just enough to return the strength to his body. He left the pain intact. He used it to focus his hatred.

"You have grown strong," Vuull said to Talus when he felt his sudden surge of power. "You have mastered your hate. But now you must die. You and your Jedi allies."

Vuull struck out again with a Lightning attack. Talus did not allow the arcs to strike him again. He raised a hand and caught the power, absorbing it back into the Force. The apprentice added her attack. Talus caught hers as well. He worked his way back to his feet.

"You underestimate me, _Master_," Talus said.

Lenora's quick breath was all that kept her conscious. She felt her body tremble under the Sith's grip. Parts of her mind were shutting down. She could feel the power around Anise. She called out to her again through the Force.

Lenora suddenly felt her power increase. She felt like her mind was being poked and prodded by an invisible power. She grabbed onto it as a if it would be her last act. Immediately the feelings of hatred overpowered her mind driving out nearly all conscious thought.

She could no longer remember her own pain. She ignored the grip on her throat that remained but new power fueled her body. She forced herself off the floor up onto her knees.

Her eyes were bulging and bloodshot, her body was still desperate for air. She reached out with one hand and her lightsaber flew into it and ignited.

The Sith renewed the power of his grip. He thought he must have slipped again but he didn't. It had no effect. Lenora braced herself for another act of strength and stood fully erect.

The Sith released his grip and charged at Lenora. He took one swing at her. She blocked the attack but the impact knocked her several steps back. Her saber felt heavy in her hands. The Sith attacked again with the same result, she blocked successfully but staggered away from him.

She stared at Anise. She could physically see the power around her. She felt it in her own body, every muscle fiber pulsating with it.

The Sith struck again. This time she barely got in position to block. Her body was full of power but somehow it would not use it. Her muscles were growing weaker. He sensed her weakness and unleashed a flurry of strikes, the last driving her hard backwards into the wall.

She looked desperately at Anise again, still a tornado of energy. Anise's power burned inside her. She called to Anise through the Force when she saw him move in to renew his assault. He struck high towards her head. She defended herself but stayed against the wall. She realized too late the move was a decoy. With her defenses high, he kicked her in the stomach under their sabers. Pressed against the wall when hit she could not move further back. She fell forward instead. The Sith moved away letting her fall back to her knees.

He slashed at her again cutting through her saber hilt. The blades vanished and the two pieces fell to either side. He kicked her hard in the chest knocking her backwards against the wall again. Her head and shoulders took the brunt of the impact.

Lenora called to Anise again. The energy in her body surged even more so her hands shook because of it, but still her body would not obey her.

The Sith moved in closer holding his weapon like a javelin. Her body trembled with useless energy. She didn't have the strength to move away. She raised her hands up in defense. The violet saber blade started towards her chest. She had no means to block and no power to move. She tried to throw this useless energy at him.

Purple energy erupted like lightning from both of Lenora's hands striking the Sith in the chest. The blast stopped him immediately. He lost his grip on his saber as his body contorted and it fell to the floor. Lenora stared in shock at the power leaving her body. The more the energy left her body the stronger she felt. She didn't want to stop the outflow of energy even though the Sith was dead from nearly first contact.

Her body grew stronger as she directed all of the energy she could out of her hands. Lenora stood up driving more power into the Sith's body. She didn't want it to stop. She could feel herself grow more and more powerful as the Force flowed through her body, until she was finally empty. Lenora dropped again to her knees and stared back and forth between the blackened body and the sparks that jumped between her hands.

Talus absorbed the power from Vuull and his apprentice. He wouldn't allow them to stop their Force attacks and the absorption quickly changed to draining their strength as well. The apprentice first realized the power was being drained from her and attacked Talus with her saber.

Talus caught her wrist in one hand and smashed his fist into her charred skull. She screeched and tried to drop to the floor. He kicked her on the way down leaving her on the ground stunned. He summoned his lightsaber back to his hand.

Vuull and Talus locked sabers briefly and then started to exchange blows. Vuull struck out in desperation. Talus merely brushed his attacks aside. The apprentice recovered and joined the saber duel from Talus' rear.

The three moved around the chamber, Talus turning continually between them. He landed a kick into Vuull's chest that left him on the ground and out of the battle. Alone with the apprentice Talus quickly drove the saber from her hand and beheaded her.

Vuull recovered enough power to attack Talus again with Lightning. Talus allowed it to hit him. He stuck his chest out to catch the energy. His body merely absorbed it with no ill effects. Vuull stepped backwards.

"How have you become so powerful," Vuull accused Talus.

Talus drove Vuull's saber from his hand and grabbed him by the throat.

"Let me show you," Talus answered.

He drove his saber through Vuull's heart. He stared into his eyes and watched his life go out. He let his body fall to the floor and kicked Vuull in the face, as if his death alone was insufficient.


	22. The Masters

**CHAPTER TWENTY TWO**

**The Masters**

Talus allowed his hatred to subside. He looked over to Duros and watched him roll over onto his stomach and slowly gain a standing position. His pain was great but he was alive.

Talus walked up the raised platform and pressed buttons on the throne's armrest until it opened a channel to the bridge.

"Open a secure channel to the Dark Council." Talus' voice reverberated on the bridge and throughout the ship.

"Channel is open," the communications officer replied a moment later, his voice too echoed throughout the ship.

A voice came from the communicator.

"This is Darth Jadus. The Dark Council is not it session but I will speak with their authority until they do. State your message."

"This is Lord Alek Talus, betrayed and exiled by my master Darth Vuull. I have returned to avenge myself. I have infiltrated Vuull's flagship, destroyed his guard, he and his apprentice were defeated by my hand. I am sending a holovid of our battle. I claim his command, his property, and title. All that was his belongs to me now."

There was a long pause from the other side of the communicator. No one on the ship said a word. Lenora who was still on the floor stood up and tried to process what she heard.

"The Council will accept your report, for now. You will assume command of Vuull's ship and complete his mission. Then you will appear before the Dark Council in person for further review."

"As you command, my lord," Talus answered.

"We will wait eagerly to hear further details, Darth Talus."

The channel cut off.

#

Lenora picked up the fallen Sith's violet lightsaber and powered it up. She twirled it in her hands to get a feel for the balance. With her saber destroyed this will have to be her weapon until she could get a new one.

Once she felt comfortable with the grip she took Anise by the hand and walked back to the captain. He stood at attention as she approached.

"Yes, my lord," he said her.

"Don't call me that," her face twisted in disgust. "I'm nothing to you. There's a Jedi prisoner on this ship. I want him released now."

"Forgive me, but we have no prisoners on this ship."

"You have a Jedi Master Sesh prisoner."

"I'm very sorry, my lo…, eh, someone has misinformed you."

Lenora's strength had returned and so had her hatred for Talus.

#

Talus helped Duros up off the floor. Duros kept what was left of his arm close to his body. He found his lightsaber and placed it on his belt.

"Congratulations on your promotion. I'll take my Jedi Master now and go home," Duros said.

"Of course," Talus answered as he walked behind him. The two headed for the exit to go up to the bridge.

"I have to apologize Master Sar'on. I thought for sure you would beat her handily."

Duros ignored him and kept walking.

"Darth Vuull was more powerful than I realized as well."

"Hmm," Duros grunted. "It seems you're just underestimating everyone."

"Yes," Talus answered as he drove his lightsaber through Duros' back. "It seems to be going around, isn't it?"

Darth Talus caught Duros before he fell and took his lightsaber off his belt then let him drop to his knees.

"I am a man of my word," Talus said as he walked passed him. "Your Jedi Master will go free."

Duros fell flat on his stomach and reached out with his hand at Talus.

"Oh," Talus said as he turned back to him, "don't worry about Lenora. She'll make a excellent Sith, don't you think?"

Talus turned back away and headed for the bridge.

#

The doors to the bridge opened and Alek Talus stepped through. Immediately the crew bowed low as he passed them. He strode to the front of the bridge where the captain stood with Lenora and Anise. The captain bowed as well.

"Congratulations, Darth Talus. The ship is yours."

"Very good, captain. I will need a full report on our current mission and status before making my trip to Korriban."

"Where is Master Sesh?" Lenora demanded.

"Watch your tone, girl."

"We had an agreement," she said much more politely. "Your captain said you have no prisoners on this ship."

"And I will fulfill it, as agreed," he said as he turned to look over his crew.

"Captain," Talus called, "there is a Jedi Master in our custody. His true name is Master Mitheus Sesh."

"Forgive me, please, Darth Talus, we have no prisoners on this ship."

"Yes, I know. He is not on this ship. You must locate this Jedi. He will be in a prison on Dromund Kaas under an assumed name. You must locate him, now."

"At once," he said and stepped quickly to other crew members to issue orders. A flurry of activity spread across one side of the bridge. Crew members tapped furiously at controls and spoke into comlinks. Lenora watched them and played back conversations in her mind trying to remember if Talus had ever said that Master Sesh was actually on the ship.

Anise wandered away from her. Her blank lifeless stare precluded any destination. She just moved.

Lenora looked around the bridge one more time.

"Where is Master Sar'on?" she asked Talus.

Talus put his head down. He walked closer to Lenora and solemnly placed Duros' lightsaber hilt in her hands. Her vision blurred with tears.

"I'm truly sorry, Lenora. He did not make it."

"No," she protested, "it can't be."

"I'm sorry. He fought bravely. I could not have been victorious without him."

"This is your fault," she screamed at Talus, her eyes full of hate. "You killed him."

"_My_ fault?" Talus said scornfully. "_I_ didn't force him to come to Balmorra. And he didn't come here for _my_ sake, did he?"

Talus' words cut at her heart. She couldn't stand to look at him so she turned away.

"I have more orders captain," Talus announced loudly. The captain moved quickly to his side. Talus continued at a high volume to make sure many would hear his words.

"What is your command, Darth Talus?"

"In my chambers you will find a fallen Jedi. He died valiantly, fighting to his last breath as a true warrior should. His remains are to be turned over to this Jedi Knight," he said motioning towards Lenora.

"Yes, my Lord."

"His body must be handled by only our most highly decorated warriors in full ceremonial dress, handled in the highest honor that can be shown. You will also find our enemies' remains, the worm Vuull and his apprentice. Send slaves to scrape up their carcases and put them out an airlock. Let them rot for eternity."

"It will be done as you will, Darth Talus."

The captain moved to the other side of the bridge and issued more orders. Lenora watched her tears fall onto Duros' lightsaber. She felt numb, like nothing going on was real. Her eyes drifted across the bridge. They met Anise's gaze. Her eyes were bright green, the tears in her eyes made them glisten, almost shine.

Lenora didn't react to Anise's sobs. She didn't acknowledge hearing the captain's announcement that Master Sesh had been found and his release ordered. That he would be placed on a transport to Tython within the hour. She just didn't want any of this to be true.

#

Lenora Cyntesa, Jedi Knight, stood before the Jedi Council on Tython. The casket holding the remains of Master Duros Sar'on was taken through the chambers so last respects could be paid before the ceremonial cremation. Master Sesh sat with the members of the Council.

"What happened, Lenora?" a Council member asked.

Lenora watched the casket pass by and her tears returned.

"Another Jedi Master is dead," she said lifting her head, "because of me."


End file.
